"Mexico will have a historical participation in Qatar" Jaime Lozano

2022 is around the corner and with it comes the most awaited moment of soccer fans: FIFA World Cup, set to be played in Qatar, but the heated temperatures of the summer in Qatar forced FIFA to modify the usual schedule to wintertime.

For the Mexican National Team, 2022 also comes with a big dream they have been trying to make come true for a while: reaching the Quarterfinal stage of the World Cup. And according to Jimmy Lozano, coach of the Olympics bronze-medal Mexican national team, Qatar will be a historical participation for El Tri.

But in order to make the dream come true, Mexico first needs to secure their spot in the World Cup, as they fell to third place in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers after losing back-to-back games against USMNT and Canada.

With more than 60% of CONCACAF’s Qualifiers already played –8 out of 14 rounds have already been disputed–, Mexico stands on the third position with 14 points, the same amount that Panama has. Surprisingly, after defeating Mexico 2-1 in Edmonton, Canada stands first in the table with 16 points, followed by the Stars and Stripes, just one point behind.

Prior to that, Mexico was unbeaten and almost had secured the first spot, but an irregular year marked by three consecutive losses against the United States –at the Final of CONCACAF Nations League, Final of CONCACAF Gold Cup, and FIFA World Cup Qualifiers– put in danger Mexico’s participation in Qatar.

It’s unlikely that the Mexican National Team will miss the World Cup, as CONCACAF is a very indulgent Conference, but the option still remains, and if Tata Martino’s squad doesn’t start to play at a higher level, one of the smaller countries could end up giving the biggest surprise in a long time: cutting off Mexico’s chances of playing its 8^th straight World Cup.

Lozano speaks up: Mexico will play the fifth match in Qatar

The Mexican coach and ex-national team player Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano said in an interview that he “knows the structure and how they work, which is great. Tata Martino is an amazing coach and has done the right things for the Mexican team.” As he used to be part of the structure he’s talking about, he knows in depth what the team looks like behind closed doors.

He later added: “they have a bit of everything: it’s the perfect combination of a young generation that’s coming out of an important process –U-23 Mexican National Team won bronze-medal on Tokyo 2020– and a lot of players that currently are in Europe”.

“Jimmy” Lozano thinks that this is the perfect generation to help Mexico take that next step that has only been achieved when the World Cup was played in Mexico, as they have never managed to reach the quarterfinals outside of their home turf.

“I think it’s the perfect moment. Those groups where experienced players meet with young players that want to eat the world are the best combination. On top of that, they have an amazing coach. Everything’s going to work out.”

Mexicans in Europe on the move; they’re looking for more playing time

With the 2022 World Cup right around the corner, some Mexican players in the European leagues might be looking for a change, as they’re not playing enough time in their current teams. If they want to be considered by Tata Martino for the squad that goes to Qatar, this might be the best choice for them.

Héctor Herrera is rumored to be moving to Roma, as he’s seen his playing time diminished at Atlético de Madrid in the current season. The arrival of Rodrigo de Paul to Los Colchoneros during the summer transfer window is pushing Herrera to look outside La Liga for more continuity.

Diego Lainez is another player that could be on its last minutes with Betis, as he hasn’t been as regular as they hoped he’d be. He’s shown some sparks, so Betis still wants to keep him around, but is interested in loaning the youngster so he can improve his skills and achieve the regularity h needs and is not getting with Los Béticos.

Tata Martino’s numbers as coach of El Tri

Under Martino’s wing since he arrived in 2019, Mexico National Team has won 33 games, tied six, and lost seven times. They have also managed to score 104 goals and received 48 in that same period of time. But the pressure created by the latest results have brought a wave of criticism against Martino, who will try to change things in 2022.

How does the beginning of 2022 look for Mexico?

After ending 2021´s schedule with a 2-2 tie vs. Chile on a friendly match, Mexico National Team is already looking forward and preparing to what 2022 could have in store for them.

The first three games of the year will be part of the FIFA Qualifiers to Qatar, as they’ll visit Jamaica on January 27 and then will receive Costa Rica and Panama on January 30 and February 2, respectively.

If Mexico manages to win 9 points out of 9 possible, and both USMNT and Canada don’t win their respective 3 games –something that will be true for at least one of them, as they’ll face each other off on January 30–, then El Tri could steal back the first position in the conference.