The Chilean coast will be invaded by Mexicans on Friday as the South American country hosts the opening match of the 2015 Copa America for El Tricolor.
Mexico's "B Team" is set to take on Bolivia in the second match of Group A after Chile defeated Ecuador 2-0 to open the tournament on Thursday.
Due to the fact that Mexico manager Miguel Herrera openly admitted that he was putting more of a priority on the Gold Cup in July, Mexico is expected to field a team with less stars than fans of El Tri are used to. Because of that fact, Mexico, Bolivia and Ecuador suddenly appear to be in a three-legged race for the second spot in Group A in order to advance into the second round. Normally, especially after a successful campaign in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Mexico would be heavily favorite to get out of Group A and possibly win the Group outright over host nation Chile. However, with the team looking towards the Gold Cup in four weeks, it's possible this tournament could mean an early exit for Mexico.
If Bolivia is able to upset Mexico on Friday, many fans will undoubtedly point to the weaker Mexican roster and with the team was at full strength, however, Bolivian fans will probably be happy that El Piojo's decision now gives them a great shot at claiming an opening game victory and perhaps stealing the second spot out of Group A.
However, that outcome seems to be highly unlikely, as even with their "B team" Mexico is still one of the top teams in the region and are still are favorites to make it out of Group A with Chile. History is not on Bolivia's side either as they have one only one game in their last 16 international matches.
If you are a fan of Liga MX, you will love the team that Herrera puts on the pitch in Chile on Friday. Most of the team is composed of players who play a prominent role in the Mexican Primera division rather than in the stiffer leagues across Europe.
Four-time World Cup captain and Mexican favorite Rafa Marquez highlights the group in Chile, and the 36-year old Hellas Verona defender will be flanked alongside Jesus "Tecatito" Corona, Javier Aquino, Rayo Vallecano and Raul Jimenez who is the one European player on El Tri that did make the 2015 Copa America squad.
Jesus Corona will start in the net and he has been brilliant in warm up matches leading up to this tournament. You won't see the "Fortress of Fortaleza, Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa this month, or stars like Miguel Layun, Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela, or the dos Santos brothers.
Despite the lack of star power, we still believe El Tri gets passed Bolivia in their opening match, with the encounter with Ecuador set to be the key game that decides whether or not Mexico advances into the quarterfinals of this tournament.
Prediction: 2-0 Mexico
Betting Favorite: Mexico -1
Over/Under 2.5 goals
The match is set to take place at the Estadio Sausalito in the Chilean costal city of Vina del Mar. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30PM EST on Friday, June 12th and the match will air live on beIN Sports Network. It can be live streamed here.
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