MIAMI, Florida – Familiar foes Mexico and Jamaica will square off this Sunday at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to determine which team will represent Group A of League A at the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals this June in Las Vegas.
Mexico come into the contest having defeated Suriname 2-0 on Thursday night in Diego Cocca’s debut as Mexico Head Coach.
The win lifted El Tricolor to first place in the group, two points ahead of Jamaica, meaning Sunday’s hosts only require a draw to punch their CNL Finals ticket.
Mexico and Jamaica are well-acquainted with each other, having played 28 times, with 21 wins for Mexico, three for Jamaica and four draws. Their last meeting came earlier in the group stage in Kingston last June when goals for Jamaica’s Leon Bailey and Mexico’s Luis Romo resulted in a 1-1 draw.
The two sides also met recently in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022, with Mexico collecting a pair of 2-1 wins.
But the CNL is a different story, especially for Jamaica, who have never lost a CNL contest in their history, a span of nine matches (6W-3D-0L)
Bailey, who has two career CNL assists, is back in the fold for the Reggae Boyz, as is the ever-dangerous Shamar Nicholson. Not only does the Spartak Moscow man sit atop the all-time scoring table of Jamaica players in the CNL with four goals, but he also has six career assists in the tournament.
Mexico’s success in this group stage has come from a spread-the-wealth approach, with five different players accounting for the team’s six goals in their three matches thus far: Johan Vasquez, Luis Romo, Erick Sanchez, Henry Martin and Israel Reyes.
The 2019-20 CNL Finalists can also take solace in the fact that they have never lost at home to Jamaica, which should make Sunday’s encounter all the more intriguing for two sides aiming to become the CNL’s second-ever champion.
