The 7-0 defeat that Chile inflicted on Mexico in the 2016 Copa America left a deep mark. Juan Carlos Osorio does not forget it, he always remembers it.

Alex Mejía, player of León, has a great relationship with his former coach of almost five years, he still talks to him and notices him sad, like he has never seen him before.

"The truth has changed a lot (his physical appearance) due to the wear and tear of his thoughts, he has not forgotten the 7-0 against Chile, he always brings it up and the truth is that there is wear and tear; I have talked to him and told him to try to forget it because football gives everyone opportunities and now he will have one against the United States in the qualifiers, the invitation is for him to erase everything and start a new chapter and if the team has a good disposition they can improve," said the former Colombian World Cup player in 2014, who said that Osorio knows how to accept criticism and remains a winner in his time in football.

"I know Coach Osorio and I know he is a serious person, dedicated to football, with a lot of dedication; but apart from that, he knows how to receive all kinds of criticism. Strong, soft, or whatever you want to call it. The invitation to him is to continue working as he has always done, to continue achieving important things," said the León player.

He also defended his record. "There are criticisms, but his numbers are spectacular, he has a positive performance... sometimes some of your colleagues (journalists) add spice to the things he says and that generates criticism or bad information," said the player who considers Osorio as his discoverer in the defensive midfield position.

Rotations will continue... Regarding the much-criticized topic of rotations, Mejía affirmed that it is a working philosophy for the coaching staff of the current coach of the Mexican team, and he also said that it is the way he has achieved success in his career.

"When he was in England, he went to the United States and then to Colombian football; immediately he transformed Colombian football with the idea he had for the game. There were criticisms of the rotations, of the way he approached the matches, but he sets up the matches according to the opponent.

"If the opponent has fast players, he opts for fast players; if they have players who are strong in aerial play, he opts for aerial play; the criticism will always come. And still, he is being criticized in Medellín for the way he rotated in Colombia, but that's how he won seven titles; he is the most winning coach in Colombia in the history of Atlético Nacional," explained the Colombian player.

According to Mejía, this is how rotations will remain as the working philosophy of Torrente in the Mexican National Team and in the teams he coaches.

"He will always rotate because it is his way of thinking and that of his coaching staff because he wants to give the other players who are there an opportunity, and his idea will never change," pointed out the Colombian.

The fact

Alexander Mejía was coached by Juan Carlos Osorio in Once Caldas and in Atlético Nacional.