Mexico vs. Bolivia, Copa America 2015: El Tri poor in their opener

El Tri aren’t out of Copa America, but they have a lot of work left to do. They were poor in their opener, drawing Bolivia 0-0. Because Bolivia were arguably the weakest team in Group A, Mexico are in some trouble, and will not be favorites to advance.

Mexico created very little in the first half, with Bolivia generating the best two chances. Ricardo Pedriel hit the post in the 20th minute and Jesus Corona was forced into a brilliant save at the end of the half by Jhasmani Campos, who unleashed a shot from 25 yards.

Mexico kicks off their Copa America campaign on Friday, and they’ll see their opening game as a must-win. It’ll be surprising if El Tri manages to get out of their group if they can’t take all three points against Bolivia.

The group mates of these two teams, Chile and Ecuador, played on Thursday with La Roja snagging an expected win. However, Ecuador looked a bit better than expected and could have grabbed a point if their finishing was a bit better. Neither Mexico or Bolivia will be favored to beat them.

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.

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.