Mexico will play in the Copa America for the first time in eight years in 2024. However, its campaign was as painful or more painful than that of 2016.
Much has happened since that humiliating 7-0 loss to Chile in the quarterfinals of the Centenario edition of CONMEBOL’s top tournament, but this year’s failure to advance past the group stage shows that the ghosts haunting El Tri have yet to be dispelled.
The national team has launched a new chapter of the coaching soap opera that has dominated the last few seasons. Although it was an open secret for several days, on Tuesday, July 16, the Mexican Football Federation officially announced that Jaime Lozano would step down as head coach.
Why is Jaime Lozano leaving the Mexican national team?
Following a dismal Copa America campaign in 2024, their second group stage exit from a major international tournament in the past 18 months (they suffered the same fate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under Tata Martino), it was confirmed on July 16 that Jaime Lozano was leaving the Mexican national team.
According to the statement from the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), the decision was made after an “analysis process” that included, as a first step, a report from the coaching staff itself.
The FMF explained that “since his arrival, Jaime Lozano was asked to reinforce his team by adding someone with more experience to complement his talent and ability as a strategist… However, a year later and for different reasons, this did not come to fruition.”
It later became clear that Lozano had turned down the chance to continue in the role alongside a new manager for the 2026 World Cup cycle.
The FMF stated: “Jaime Lozano was offered a contract until 2030 in which, during the period 2024-2026, he would be accompanied by a technical director with greater experience in the lead-up to our World Cup. [the 2026 finals in Mexico, the United States, and Canada] And beyond that, Jaime himself would take over the reins of technical direction for the 2026-2030 cycle. After analyzing the proposal, Jaime informed us that he did not wish to continue.
“The Mexican Football Federation only has words of gratitude for him and his coaching staff. We are sure that he will continue to build a successful career as a coach and we wish him all the best in his professional and personal future.”
Who will be Mexico’s next coach?
The million-dollar question: In the immediate future, everything points to Javier Aguirre being Mexico’s coach. At least, that is what the authorities want.
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) made it clear that it proposed to Lozano that he stay in the background and work within a formula headed by a more experienced coach, who would lead the team after the 2024 Copa America and ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where Mexico is one of the host nations along with Canada and the United States. Although the FMF did not mention any names, multiple reports indicate that the idea was for Javier Aguirre to take over as head coach.
However, “Jimmy” did not accept the proposal and therefore left El Tri. Could “El Vasco” now reconsider the decision? It is worth remembering that, a few months ago, when questioned about the possibility of taking charge of the national team, Aguirre emphatically said that Lozano’s process had to be “supported” and that he did not want the position.
Are there other candidates? Fans have suggested names like André Jardine, the coach who revolutionized América and turned it into a two-time Liga MX champion, or Guillermo Almada, the coach of Pachuca. For now, however, everything indicates that Aguirre, who was coach at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, is Mexico’s plan A, B and C.
