Recommended
The Mexican National Team will face Colombia on September 26 in Baltimore (United States), in Rafael Márquez's debut as head coach of El Tri ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
The Mexican Football Federation confirmed the match that will pit two of the top 12 teams in the FIFA ranking against each other, as Mexico is in tenth place and Colombia in eleventh.
Rafa Márquez, a star for Spain's Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, replaced Javier Aguirre as Mexican head coach after having been his assistant at the last World Cup, where El Tri advanced to the round of 16, a stage in which they were eliminated by England.
Now, the strategist intends to grow the team with a mix of veterans and newcomers, with the goal of reaching at least the quarterfinals in the 2030 World Cup.
Colombia and Mexico have met 29 times, with 10 wins for each and nine draws, although the last time they played, the South Americans thrashed Mexico 4-0 on October 11 of last year in a friendly.
After that match, Mexico will face Peru on September 29 in Harrison, New Jersey, in another friendly that is part of the Mexicans' annual tour of the United States, which will continue on October 6 against Chile in Los Angeles.
Those three games will serve as preparation for Márquez for a Concacaf Nations League match this coming November against an opponent yet to be defined.
Although they were eliminated in the round of 16, Mexico left a good impression at the last World Cup, winning their three group matches and eliminating Ecuador in the round of 32, in duels in which they did not concede a single goal.
Against England, they lost 3-2 in a match where they finished with a man advantage on the field, pressing the opponent with an admirable defense.
In drawing conclusions from the performance at the tournament hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, Javier Aguirre highlighted that in his process he rescues the love Mexican players have for wearing the national team jersey, which he leaves as a legacy to Márquez.
[Publicidad]