Mexico Announces U-20 Roster; "Cubo" Torres Added to the Mix

The Mexican Football Federation officially released the roster list on Friday for the U-20 national team who will began preparations this week for the upcoming Under-20 World Cup in Colomba. Manager Juan Carlos Chavez has selected a 20-man roster that includes 19 of the 20 players who won the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in April.

The one new face on the squad is a famous one: Erick "Cubo" Torres. The talented 18-year old striker has been followed by clouds of speculation in recent months over which competition he would be participating in this summer. With Mexico playing in three high-profile international tournaments - the Gold Cup, Copa America, and the U-20 World Cup - pundits had fun predicting which, if any, of these rosters Torres would end up appearing on. Now we have our answer. In the past, manager Chavez was reluctant to add new players to his U-20 squad at the risk of disrupting team chemistry. Cubo was too talented a player to ignore, though, and will now join the team in place of his Chivas teammate Jorge Mora.

The U-20 players will be expected to report to camp during the coming week. If Chivas ends up beating Pumas on Sunday, they will play in the Liguilla finals without starting striker Torres, along with bench players Kristian Alvarez and Jorge Enriquez. Following two weeks of training, the U-20 team will travel to France at the end of this month for a tournament in Toulon. The U-20 World Cup begins play in July in Colombia, where Mexico have been drawn into a difficult group alongside Argentina, England, and North Korea. Below is the full Mexico roster.

Goalkeepers

José Antonio Rodríguez Romero - Chivas
Carlos Aurelio López Rubio - Talleres de Córdoba (Argentina)

Defenders

Kristian Omar Álvarez Nuño - Chivas
Néstor Alejandro Araujo Razo - Cruz Azul
César Alberto Ibáñez Jiménez - Atlas
Alexis Emanuel Loera Romero - Atlas
Diego Antonio Reyes Rosales - Club America
Jorge Luis Valencia Arredondo - Tigres

Midfielders

Diego De Buen Juárez - Pumas
Jorge Enríquez García - Chivas
Lugiani Iván Gallardo - Club America
Carlos Emilio Orrantia - Pumas
Marvin Eduardo Piñón - Monterrey
Saúl Villalobos Gutiérrez - Atlas

Forwards

Ulises Alejandro Dávila - Chivas
Taufic Guarch Rubio - Estudiantes
David Izazola Ramírez - Pumas
Alan Pulido Izaguirre - Tigres
Edson Ulises Rivera Vargas - Atlas
Erick "Cubo" Torres Padilla - Chivas