SEATTLE - As one of the many teams undergoing a change of guard at Copa América 2024, Mexico arrives to the United States with a very young but hungry squad.
Out of the 26-man roster selected by Jaime Lozano, only one player is 30 years or older, with the team having an average age of 25. The leader of the pack is Edson Álvarez, who was made captain of "El Tri" ahead of this year's Copa América.
"El Machín" sat down with The Latin Times to talk about his expectations for the summer, his role as the new captain and the responsibilities that come with it.
On the team's expectations for Copa América 2024
"We are really happy and excited to be competing at Copa América after so many years. I can tell you that our aspirations are always to win. I don't think anyone trains and prepares themselves just to lose. We have that ambition and we know we have to go step by step."
On if he ever imagined being named as captain of the Mexican national team
"We have a very young squad and everyone is living and experiencing new things. Personally, being the captain of the national team is one of the biggest things I ever had to live in my professional career. You always dream and you always imagine it, but once you are here it is hard to realize that you made it. I am very happy and I take the responsibility of the role, of leading by example."
On his partnership with Modelo and the importance of Mexican fans in the United States
"This partnership with Modelo encompasses the values I have as a person, the famous "espiritú ganador," never giving up...and the fact that this campaign is focused towards those fans that are always behind us and play such an important role for the team made it easier to partner up."
The European dream
In recent years, a move to Europe to follow has gotten harder and harder to achieve for a Mexican player. Edson Álvarez was among the few to make it when Ajax signed "El Machín" when he was just 21 years of age in 2019.
In his new role as captain, Álvarez hopes to advice some of his teammates that might want to follow their own European dream.
On advising young players that want to play in Europe
"This role as captain pushes me to get closer to my teammates by talking and listening to them. The advice I can give them is that they have to understand that it is hard at first. Nothing comes easy in this world and that life is a process. It might put you in very uncomfortable scenarios that you might not want to be at. If life puts you these sort of hurdles in front is so you can learn from them," he said.
"That is how I saw it during the first six months of me joining Ajax. I always had the mindset that everything was part of the process and that I was capable of succeeding. That is what I try to tell my teammates, once you overcome that fear life and soccer will get much easier for them."
On his transition from the Dutch league to the Premier League
"It was not as hard for me because I was coming from a very important team like Ajax. I already knew what it felt like to play in the Champions League and in Europe so it was obviously a change. One of the things I learned that I have to keep on getting better at it is the intensity. In my opinion, the Premier League is the best league in the world and it has all the factors such as speed, strength and quality, so you have to adapt to all of that."
"If I had to summarize my debut season with West Ham I would say I am happy with it but not satisfied because I want more. I want to keep on demonstrating that I am made for bigger things," Álvarez added.
"El Machín" also spoke about the importance a tournament like Copa América can have for a player's career.
"I think for everyone involved this will be our first Copa América. We are a young team and are fully aware of the responsibility that comes with playing a tournament as important as this one. A lot of us know that Copa América remains as one big showcase for the whole world to see you," he said.
On his personal expectations at Copa América 2024
"At a personal level, I hope to keep on learning and I want to learn more about my role as captain. I am a person that enjoys these sort of responsibilities so I also hope to enjoy the moment and things I am living," Álvarez said.
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