Mexico ready to face the pressure of a Copa match against Ecuador

Mexico’s Johan Vásquez says the national team is in a “life or death” situation for Sunday’s Copa América group stage match against Ecuador, where a place in the knockout stage will be up for grabs. stake.

In front of a crowd expected to be mostly pro-Mexico at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the Genoa defender acknowledged the burden of having to pull out a victory in front of his fans to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

“Sometimes you have to know how to play with that pressure, too,” Vasquez told reporters at the team’s pregame news conference Saturday. “A teammate a few years ago told me it was a privilege to have that type of pressure that not many people have, and that stuck with me.”

“For us (tomorrow)… in short, it’s a question of life and death and knowing how to play with this pressure. »

Sitting alongside Vasquez, Mexico coach Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano agreed with his player’s sentiment.

“The pressure is a happy pressure. Fortunately because we are in the best position that a Mexican footballer, that a Mexican coach can be,” he said.

The Sorting head into their final group stage game with three points from their first two matches of the tournament.

After starting the match with a 1-0 victory over Jamaica in their first match, Lozano and his men failed to live up to expectations as they lost to Venezuela for the first time in an official competition, losing 1-0 Wednesday.

With a growing number of worrying results since late 2023, and the recognition that a draw or defeat on Sunday would guarantee an early exit from the Copa América, Lozano finds himself in the hot seat.

“As a coach you know you depend a lot on results,” Lozano said when asked if his job was on the line against Ecuador. “At the end of the day I have to try to get as much performance as possible from the players, obviously by doing things well, and that’s why I’m calm.”

Two-time Copa finalists Mexico will look to avoid a third group stage elimination in their last four tournament appearances.

Tied on three points with Mexico, Ecuador are also aiming for a place in the quarter-finals this weekend but only need a draw to qualify thanks to their superior goal differential.