Mexico can reverse recent woes with Gold Cup title in sight

LAS VEGAS -- Typically even-tempered and collected, Mexico interim manager Jaime "Jimmy" Lozano couldn't help but smile much more after collecting a 3-0 semifinal victory on Wednesday against Jamaica that has guided his team to the Gold Cup final.

"If I rewind the tape to three weeks ago, I was unemployed," said the 44-year-old coach from Mexico City. "There was a person, who was up in that box [at the stadium], that trusted in me. That believed in me and believed in my process."

Lozano was referring to Juan Carlos Rodriguez, the new commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF). Hired just a month before Lozano in May, Rodriguez took an immediate risk in late June by firing former…