Mexico captain Edson Álvarez will miss the rest of the Copa América after suffering a hamstring injury, the men's team player confirmed this Tuesday.
“Unfortunately my participation in the Copa América has come to an end,” the West Ham United midfielder said on social media, stating that he would maintain a role off the field. “But I also wanted to let you know that I have made the decision to stay with the team until the end.”
Alvarez, 26, limped out of the Mexico Cup opener against Jamaica last Saturday after falling to the ground and grabbing his left hamstring following a counterattack by the opposition in the first half.
Although The Tri Winning the match 1-0 thanks to a goal from Gerardo Arteaga, the result would prove bittersweet for coach Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano and his men, as they are now without a key leader.
Earlier on Tuesday, Lozano said the potential loss of the player through injury “would be a hard blow” for the national team.
In his place, the coach stated that Almería defender César Montes, 27, would now take the captain's armband.
“Now it's César's turn to be captain and I think he's going to help us a lot too,” Lozano said.
“The same with Julio [Gonzalez]johan [Vasquez]”I like to watch football a little from behind and I think they are the people who have a little more stability.”
Depending on the outcome of the other Group B matchup between Ecuador and Jamaica, both Mexico and Venezuela will look to possibly secure a place in the round of 16 of the Cup with a win on Wednesday.
After the second round of games, Group B will close with Mexico playing Ecuador and Jamaica playing Venezuela on Sunday.
