Concacaf at Copa América: #3 Mexico (2001)
El Tri made another deep run in a tournament that was initially canceled!
Our countdown of the most memorable Concacaf performances at Copa América continues with the Mexican National Team at the 2001 tournament. It was an interesting period for El Tri. Two summers prior, they hosted and won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup with a 4-3 win over Brazil in the final. In the summer of 2000, they shockingly flamed out of the Concacaf Gold Cup in the quarterfinals losing to Canada. World Cup qualifying was going okay - but they certainly weren’t looking like the giants of the region. The 2001 Copa América represented a chance to get back on track before the 2002 World Cup.
Just 10 days before the tournament was set to begin, it was canceled by CONMEBOL citing security concerns in the host nation, Colombia. In a sudden reversal, the competition was reinstated 5 days later. Canada disbanded their team during this back and forth and they were replaced by Costa Rica. Argentina withdrew from the tournament the day before it started and Honduras was a last-minute addition (more on that later in this series). Despite the hectic environment leading up to the Copa América, El Tri was determined to make a run at the title!
If you missed #4 in our countdown, feel free to check it out below:
3. Mexico 2001
Result: 2nd place
Summary
They started the tournament with a matchup against Brazil (a rematch of the 1999 Confederations Cup Final). While the Seleção were in poor form and didn’t have their stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, or Roberto Carlos in this tournament, they were still one of the favorites to win the title. Just a few minutes into the game, Jared Borgetti scored a wonderful goal to put Mexico on top 1-0. They would go on to control the tempo of the game and hold onto their 1-0 lead to upset Brazil! This continued an era of success for El Tri against the Seleção.
After Borgetti’s early goal to beat Brazil, Mexico went the rest of the group stage (over 250 minutes) without finding the back of the net. Thankfully, their defense was world-class in that tournament led by young stars Rafa Márquez and Gerardo Torrado along with a strong committee of rotating keepers (Óscar Pérez, Adrián Martínez, and Oswaldo Sánchez). They played Paraguay to scoreless draw in their second game and fell 1-0 to Peru in their group finale. Despite the lack of goal production, they finished second in the group on goal difference and advanced to the quarterfinals!
Entering their matchup with Chile, Mexico needed to start finding the back of the net. Their chances were slim with striker Jared Borgetti serving a red card suspension. El Tri started on the front foot and bagged a goal early to take a 1-0 lead. Javier Aguirre’s decision to put Óscar Pérez back in goal paid off as he made several great saves. Mexico had several chances to extend their lead but just missed multiple times. As the end drew near, Borgetti’s backup, Daniel Osorno, smashed a ball right at the Chilean keeper with enough pace to get through his hands. Mexico was on to the semifinals to face Uruguay!
La Celeste was struggling through the tournament (finished 3rd in their group and narrowly edged out Costa Rica in the quarterfinals) and Mexico knew they were just one game away from returning to the Copa América final (as they had in 1993). Jared Borgetti opened the scoring with a brilliant individual goal that still lives on in Mexican fútbol lore. Uruguay equalized before the half with a header off a set piece - the game was on! Just after the hour mark, Mexico won what some considered a soft penalty and captain Alberto García Aspe stepped up and buried the shot! They held off Uruguayan attempts to equalize a second time and advanced to the final!
Facing host country Colombia in front of a sold-out crowd was going to be a tall order for El Tri. They were finally starting to get their offense going with 4 goals in the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t carry over into the final as a stingy Colombian defense stymied the Mexican attack. While the defending and goalkeeping were very good all tournament, defending set-pieces proved to be their downfall as legendary Inter Milan defender Iván Córdoba scored the header to give Colombia their first and only Copa América title.
Best Moment: Jared Borgetti’s golazo against Uruguay
Coming off missing the quarterfinal due to suspension, Borgetti was looking to make a statement. This goal showcased why Borgetti was such a special striker - composure in big moments, impeccable ball control, and moments of brilliance! Scoring first was crucial for Mexico and this gave the team the confidence to carry them through to the final!
Best Player: Jared Borgetti
While Borgetti was becoming a household name and fan favorite when the Copa América came around due to his performances in World Cup qualifying, this tournament cemented his place in the Mexican attack for the better part of the 2000s. His goals against Brazil and Uruguay were great individual efforts and set the tone in both contests!
After this tournament, Borgetti scored over 30 more goals for Mexico (including this brilliant header at the 2002 World Cup and 3 at the 2005 Confederations Cup). His injury ahead of the 2007 Copa América opened the door for Nery Castillo’s great performance and essentially ended his time as Mexico’s 9. He was El Tri’s leading goal scorer until Chicharito surpassed him in 2017. Jared Borgetti will go down in history as one of Mexico’s best players and this tournament played a big part in that!
A second runner-up finish at the Copa América was a huge accomplishment for El Tri. It was a boost they needed to carry them through the rest of 2002 World Cup qualifying and it helped show the world there was good fútbol being played in Concacaf. Another performance from a Concacaf team in 2001 helped that cause too…stay tuned for the rest of our countdown as we get closer to the the kickoff of the 2024 tournament!
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