🇲🇽 Jimmy Lozano wants a Nations League trophy ... and time with El Tri
PLUS: Your preview of both semifinals Thursday.
Reporting from Arlington, Texas
This wraps up my series looking at each of the Concacaf Nations League Final Four teams. Here are previous entries on Panama, Jamaica & the United States.
The expectation for Mexico is clear: Win every trophy available in the Concacaf region.
It’s why El Tri manager Jaime Lozano has his job. Diego Cocca failed to win the Nations League, and he was gone. Lozano - as interim - won the Gold Cup. He’s still here.
The fact that Mexico is yet to win the Nations League as its third tournament culminates this weekend is something that definitely has grabbed attention.
“It’s important. It’s a trophy that’s important for us because the U.S. has won the first two,” Lozano said yesterday. “We have a beautiful opportunity to advance, get to the final again and look to win this tournament that fills us with hope. The Copa América overshadows it a bit, but us, honestly, we have a lot of expectations to go out and defeat Panama and see what happens after that.”
Lozano appears at peace with his precarious perch: Leading Mexico for as long as they have him but knowing that one day the axe will find him like it found Cocca. He doesn’t appear to be in any imminent danger - even with a fourth-place finish this weekend, it’s tough to see anyone but Lozano leading Mexico into the Copa América.
The World Cup, though, is another story. Just as with Gregg Berhalter, this CNL kicks off a stretch of tournaments in which results are needed in each of them to guarantee Lozano is the manager leading Mexico into a World Cup journey that begins on home soil and will be followed intensely by fans in the country.
Perhaps that’s why he looks at his counterpart Thursday with some envy. Thomas Christiansen failed in his mission to qualify Panama for the 2022 World Cup. Yet, here he is, getting ready to match wits with Lozano after one of the most successful years in Panama’s history.
Few Mexico managers have been given that sort of faith and the months and months of leeway allowing them to build a process - though Tata Martino is one of them, and that didn’t end well for El Tri. Even so, Lozano already is beginning to lobby federation boss Juan Carlos Rodriguez and other leaders to be patient with him as he works to iron out the wrinkles still remaining in the national team.
“There’s backing and confidence or else I wouldn’t be here today. We know that in global football, results matter to give continuity to projects managers are putting in place,” Lozano said. “Panama and other national teams have backed their processes, beyond the immediate results. I’d love for us to think that way.
“Today, I’m here, but I would’ve loved for that to have been done previously and to be done in the future because it’s more and more clear to me - not just because I’m here - you’re growing, seeing other teams and if you choose confidence and are right and you give time to a process, you’re going to have very good results at the end.”
Lozano recalled overseeing Mexico against the Panama senior team in the last friendly before he coached the U-23 squad to the bronze medal in Japan. Mexico won 3-0, a scoreline they’d sign up for quickly were it on offer tonight.
“Now, the team is totally different with the same players,” Lozano said. “Time gives you the ability to generate a culture of work, an understanding and strengthen the links which are important in a national team when you don’t have much time to work each camp.”
Now, he is looking not only to extend that process in the name of building but also to have accomplishments to point to along the way.
That starts tonight against Panama. Lozano wants it to continue long into the future.
Looking ahead to tonight’s games…
United States v. Jamaica, 6:30 p.m. CT