The Copa America is underway, and the second match of the tournament features one of two CONCACAF teams invited to round out CONMEBOL’s big tournament. Mexico are in their ninth Copa America, but have never won it, finishing as runners-up twice. This year, they’re bringing a side that’s rather reduced in strength, leaving some of their biggest stars at home to rest up ahead of the Gold Cup later this summer.
Mexico vs. Bolivia, Copa America 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
Mexico need to start fast in the Copa America if their depleted side is going to make an impact.
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That could open up a chance for Bolivia to shock the world and upset them, but don’t expect Mexico to let their guard that far down. Even with a weakened side, El Tri will want to make the knockout rounds of the Copa, and they know that this is their best chance to get a win in the group stage. Mexico need the three points in a matchup against Bolivia, and the minnows of CONMEBOL offers them a chance to win if they want to give themselves a good enough chance of making the quarterfinals. It’s not going to be an easy road for Mexico, so a strong start in this match will be a must if they want to make it at all smoother.
Key player -- Raúl Jiménez (Mexico)
This is the chance for Jiménez to step up as a major player on Mexico’s front line. In the absence of Chicharito, he’s the top scoring forward in the squad and the best chance Mexico have at finding a positive outcome not only in this match, but the tournament as a whole. He’s a talented player who can make a major impact, but the question right now is more along these lines: how much of the load can he carry himself? Mexico weren’t overwhelmingly impressive in their warmup matches and struggled to get the ball to Jiménez, so he needs to step up and take more direct control of things as much as he can.
Key Matchup -- Rafael Márquez (Mexico) vs. Marcelo Martins Moreno (Bolivia)
Márquez is, by a wide margin, the most experienced player in this largely second-unit Mexico side. It’s also likely his last hurrah with the national team before riding off into the sunset. He’s going to have to dig deep and find some of his better play again in this tournament if Mexico are going to make any kind of deep run, and that has to start in this match. Márquez will have to shut down Moreno, Bolivia’s main goalscoring threat, in order to allow his less experienced teammates to settle in and get comfortable with playing both in the Copa America, and with each other.
Match Date/Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. & Canada -- English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. -- Spanish), Bolivia TV (Bolivia), Canal 13 (Chile), Azteca 7, Sky Mexico (Mexico), Premier Sports (U.K.)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. & Canada)
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