Mexico announces squad for non-FIFA date friendly against Ecuador.

Mexico announced the call up list for the Wednesday friendly against Ecuador. Coach Gerardo Martino reportedly had a lot of trouble in getting a call up list because of it not being an official FIFA date, and clubs weren’t forced to do release players. This meant MLS teams, who have mid week games, and America and Monterrey, who will be playing the CONCACAF Champions League wouldn’t release players for the match. In addition, there are non-confirmed reports that several Liga MX team also didn’t release their players. This made it that the list didn’t come out until Sunday when it was supposed to have been out since Thursday.

The call up list was the following:

Goalkeepers: Rodolfo Cota (Leon), Jonathan Orozco (Tijuana)

Defenders: Haret Ortega (Toluca), Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca), Victor Guzman (Tijuana), Osvaldo Rodriguez (Leon), Jesus Alberto Angulo (Atlas)

Midfielders: Erik Lira (Pumas), Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul), Jesus Ricardo Angulo (Chivas), Erick Sanchez (Pachuca), Fernando Beltran (Chivas), Alejandro Zendejas (Chivas), Alan Cervantes (Santos), Jose Ramirez (Leon)

Forwards: Santiago Gimenez (Cruz Azul), Eduardo Aguirre (Santos), Uriel Antuna (Chivas)

Because of it being a non FIFA date and the setbacks, it was expected for Mexico to come out with a lot of names that aren’t usually called, and all of them in Liga MX. Among the most notable is the first senior call up for Toluca’s defender Haret Ortega, who many have been touting as one of the most promising defenders in Mexico. Another young prospect is Victor Guzman, who also got a call up after being one of the mainstays of the 2019 U17 World Cup team that finished in second place.

Among the notable omissions, Omar Campos is probably the most surprising as the promising left back has been asked for fans to be called up to the World Cup Qualifiers, and yet he didn’t even make this short handed list. Also notable are certain Atlas players like veteran Aldo Rocha or young promising defender David Barbosa. Most of the others are not known if they weren’t given permission by their clubs. Mexico will be thus be going with a young squad against an Ecuador side that will also play with mostly Ecuador based players as well as with Romario Ibarra (Pachuca) and Michael Estrada (Toluca).