ARLINGTON — Among the 41 nations comprising the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), Mexico and the United States are the powerhouse of the region. By far.
Despite the great dominance they have over the rest of their geographical competitors, none of the current coaches for El Tri and the USMNT feel obligated to win their next competition.
The United States will face Jamaica and Mexico will face Panamá in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League that will take place on March 21 at AT&T Stadium.
The winners of those matches will meet in the tournament final on March 24 at the Dallas Cowboys’ home.
“We are not obligated to win the tournament”, Mexico coach Jaime Lozano said Tuesday in a press conference held at AT&T Stadium with the other three coaches of the teams that will compete in the semifinals.
The United States is the highest-ranked Concacaf team in the FIFA rankings, occupying the 13th place, while Mexico is 15th.
Panamá is in 44th place, and Jamaica is 57th in the ranking of 210 countries.
“For the media and the fans, we are obliged to win, but for me, this is part of a process towards the 2026 World Cup,” Lozano said.
The United States has won the two previous editions of the Nations League, and its coach, Gregg Berhalter, wants to avoid the sentiment that his team has an obligation to lift the trophy once again.
“For us, it’s not an obligation to win the tournament. We use these opportunities to compete at the highest level, and that is what this tournament is about,” Berhalter said.
The USMNT coach rejected the idea that his team is under pressure to get its third Nations League in a row.
“We respect our rivals, and we want to play at our highest level. If we do that, we will have a great chance to win. For us, it’s not about pressure, it’s about performance”, Berhalter said.
While the U.S. and Mexico try to avoid the pressure of winning the Nations League, the coaches of Jamaica and Panamá think this is a unique opportunity for their national teams.
“There is a huge difference between the quality of players and the infrastructure of Mexico, the United States and the rest of Concacaf,” Jamaica coach Heimir Hallgrímsson said.
“For us, winning the Nations League would be a historic achievement and would make many people turn their heads to see us and attract investments that would boost Jamaican soccer,” Hallgrímsson said.
Panama’s coach, Thomas Christiansen, recognized that the quality of players from Mexico and the United States surpasses any other country in the area.
“I envy the quantity and quality of players that Mexico and the United States can count on to form their national teams,” Christiansen said. “We have grown a lot and we are convinced we can beat any rival in the area, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
Feeling no obligation to win the Nations League title does not mean that Lozano doesn’t care if he wins or loses against Panamá.
“Of course I want to win. Winning is what I want the most,” said Lozano, who was tagged as coach after Mexico’s disastrous performance in the Nations League semifinal, losing 3-0 to the United States in June of last year.
That defeat cost Diego Cocca his job. Cocca only managed seven games for Mexico.
Lozano took up the challenge of leading the Mexican national team even though it was mired in one of the most profound crises in its history.
Before the humiliating loss to the United States in the Nations League semifinal, Mexico had delivered its worst World Cup performance in Qatar since 1978 by failing to advance out of the group stage.
After Lozano, 45, was appointed as the head coach, El Tri went on to win last year’s Gold Cup by beating Panamá 1-0.
“Since I was a child, I have always wanted to win. It bothers me a lot to lose. I consider myself a winner because I always give my best”, Lozano said.
“The message is clear and forceful to our fans: we will go out and give everything we have against Panamá.”
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