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Mexico vs Senegal: What to Watch For

Mexico's game versus Senegal might be a molero game but there are still some things to watch for.

Corona training before Senegal Friendly
Corona training before Senegal Friendly
@miseleccionmx

In the grand scheme of things, this game means nothing to Mexico (unless they lose). Certain players could help their national team careers with a good performance in front of the coach. Here are three things I will be paying attention to.

Goalkeeping Depth: Chuy Corona has fallen on the goalkeeper depth chart for Mexico. At the best, he is #3 behind Talavera and Moises. Now is the time to see what he has left  to offer the national team and to a lesser extent, the Olympic team. If Corona is on the outside looking in on the Copa America squad, he might be an option as one of the three overage players.However, he won the 2012 Gold Medal as Mexico's captain and might not want to play in that tournament again. If Potro wants to bring an overage keeper, it might come down to Corona or Memo.

Araujo/Salcedo: Both players combine for only seven senior team caps but have bright futures. The hype around Salcedo has been there for a bit but Araujo deserves a look at future callups. The Cruz Azul product is closing in on 120 Liga MX appearances and has already won a title with Santos. He has been a steady force in the back for Santos and is an automatic starter. The backline for Mexico is thin and will improve if these two step up to become viable CB options for JCO. The threat of injuries and suspensions mean Mexico must have depth at CB, Araujo & Salcedo have a chance to plead their case to JCO against Senegal.

Mexico's Midfield: The game might fall on a non-FIFA date but JCO has plenty of options at his disposal to deploy in the midfield. Damm will look to build on his good season with Tigres. The "$15mil man" has already scored his first goal with Mexico, look for him to add another against Senegal. Pachuca's Trio should get ample playing time with Gutierrez and Lozano hoping to make their senior team debuts. They are a big reason a few (me included) have Pachuca as their darkhorse pick to win Liga MX this season. Ideally, the U23 squad would have played a game instead of just having a training camp but I'm glad JCO called up a few U23 players for the Senegal game. Ultimately, watching Lozano might be the best reason to watch this game at all.