Welcome to the Copa America.
Wednesday's 1-1 tie for Mexico against Peru might have been only a warmup match for El Tri, but it gave coach Miguel Herrera -- who has said he has a team capable of winning the tournament -- a timely reminder of just how difficult a competition it is likely to be for a weakened Mexico squad.
El Tri struggled to contain an inspired Peru side, ranked 63rd in FIFA's rankings, in front of a passionate home support in Estadio Nacional and was lucky not to lose.
Peru dominated the first half and eventually went ahead when Jefferson Farfan tapped home in the 62nd minute, with Juan Carlos Valenzuela equalizing for Mexico with a header in the 76th.
"We didn't have a good game, but at the end we rescued the draw," Herrera said after the game. "The important thing was to see how the team worked."
Here are three quick takes from the match:
This isn't its Copa America starting XI
Let's start on a positive note from a Mexican point of view: Of the 11 starters, only three -- Rafa Marquez, Gerardo Flores and Raul Jimenez -- are projected to start a week from Friday when El Tri opens its Copa America account against Bolivia in Chile.
But this match highlighted the problems Herrera has had in shaping a "B" squad to compete at a strong Copa America, while the "A" squad seeks Gold Cup glory in a much weaker tournament. If internal competition was what the coach was hoping for on Wednesday, he was left in a weaker position than before the game kicked off.
Up front, there was little chemistry between Jimenez and Enrique Esqueda, although they were isolated, with the fact Mexico only had one shot in the first half telling.
In midfield, Juan Carlos Medina played the holding role, but was swamped as El Tri failed to control the center of the field. Javier Aquino sparked intermittently, while Marco Fabian was quiet, but the fact both are more accustomed to playing on the wing and are outwardly attacking players left Mexico unbalanced and left space for Peru to exploit.
Then in defense, Julio "Cata" Domginuez was the latest player to be tried as a left center back and didn't do badly, but the understanding with Rafa Marquez and Juan Carlos Valenzuela was shaky at best. It would be unfair to judge the individuals too much, however, considering how little time they've had playing together, and it must be noted that things did improve slightly when Hugo Ayala replaced Marquez at halftime.
At right wing-back, Gerardo Flores was a rare bright spot and looks to have done enough now to earn a starting place at the Copa America, while goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera was Mexico's best player and kept his team in the game in the first half.
Overall, Peru should've punished Mexico and had the game out of reach by the time Valenzuela leveled. After 45 minutes, Peru had outshot Mexico 7-1 and looked far more dangerous in the final third. It took Mexico until the 70th to even get a shot on target.
Herrera's side got away with it on Wednesday, but it can't rely on having the same luck when the real business gets underway in Chile.
Fabian, Jimenez disappoint
Olympic 2012 gold-medal winners Fabian, 25, and Jimenez, 24, can no longer be treated as young players hoping to break through. This is their time, and the responsibility on their shoulders at the Copa America is significant.
Both need a good tournament to help further their club careers and start to make the most of the talent they have. And if Mexico are to exceed expectations at the Copa America, both have a crucial role to play. But there was no sense either is taking the bull by the horns ahead of the tournament and the truth was it seemed they lacked confidence against Peru.
Jimenez was lost up front, isolated from the game and his teammates and when he did latch onto a good through-ball by Flores in the 49th, he blasted it over the bar. If you didn't know he played for Atletico Madrid, you'd never have guessed.
For Fabian, this was an occasion where he went missing and was unable to influence the game as he would've wished. It might have just cost him his starting place.
Corona strengthens Copa America chances
Fabian was replaced by Jesus "Tecatito" Corona -- with Luis Montes coming on for Aquino at the same time -- in the 66th minute and Mexico instantly improved as an attacking force.
It is true Herrera gave his side more license to get forward, but Corona's positive influence stood in contrast to that of Fabian.
The Twente winger was more direct and scared the Peruvian defense. The 22-year-old won the free kick that led to Valenzuela's goal and drew the foul from Pedro Requena that got him sent off in the 78th.
Corona almost unlocked the defense in the 85th with a mazy dribble and wasn't very far from nicking an unlikely victory in injury time. He looks primed to be Mexico's most exciting player this summer, with Corona also in El Tri's Gold Cup squad.