Mexico announces large call up list for Panama and Nigeria friendlies

Mexico announced a large list of players for the friendlies against Panama and Nigeria. The call up list is a combination of the U24 team and the Senior team, which leads many to believe that it will be mostly U24 players who will take part in the friendly against Panama on June 30th. Coach Gerardo Martino will use the friendlies as preparation for the Gold Cup, in which Mexico is the defending champion.

The call up list is the following:

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (America), Alfredo Talavera (Pumas), Sebastian Jurado (Cruz Azul), Luis Malagon (Necaxa), Rodolfo Cota (Leon), Jonathan Orozco (Tijuana)

Defenders: Edson Alvarez (Ajax), Nestor Araujo (Celta de Vigo), Luis Romo (Cruz Azul), Hector Moreno (Monterrey), Gerardo Arteaga (Genk), Jorge Sanchez (America), Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey), Johan Vasquez (Pumas), Jesus Alberto Angulo (Atlas), Luis Rodriguez (Tigres), Osvaldo Rodriguez (Leon), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca), Carlos Salcedo (Tigres), Gilberto Sepulveda (Chivas)

Midfielders: Hector Herrera (Atletico Madrid), Diego Lainez (Betis), Erick Gutierrez (PSV Eindhoven), Jonathan Dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Andres Guardado (Betis), Carlos Rodriguez (Monterrey), Jesus Ricardo Angulo (Chivas), Orbelin Pineda (Cruz Azul), Uriel Antuna (Chivas), Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul), Erick Aguirre (Pachuca), Fernando Beltran (Chivas), Sebastian Cordova (America), Alan Cervantes (Santos), Rodolfo Pizarro (Inter Miami), Joaquin Esquivel (FC Juarez)

Forwards: Hirving Lozano (Napoli), Jesus Corona (Porto), Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey), Jose Juan Macias (Chivas), Eduardo Aguirre (Santos), Alexis Vega (Chivas), Henry Martin (America), Alan Pulido (Sporting Kansas City)

The biggest news will be that this is the first call up to the National team of just naturalized Rogelio Funes Mori. The Argentine forward was just declared eligible by FIFA this week after getting his Mexican citizenship. Funes Mori is the only player to not have been part of a call up to either the Senior team early this summer or the U24 team. Another surprising call up is Rodolfo Pizarro, who has been injured all summer and even when he played with Inter Miami, it was a lower level.

The most notable omission is again forward Javier ““Chicharito” Hernandez. Hernandez was included on the preliminary Gold Cup squad, but this call up list looks as if he is far from returning to the NT. According to reports, off the field problems have made it that he’s not going to be returning to the NT under Martino’s tenure. Also surprising was how Carlos Acevedo, Santos’ goalkeeper wasn’t called up either. Acevedo stood out but wasn’t good enough apparently to get a call up as players like Jonathan Orozco and Rodolfo Cota were given after having lesser performances. Mexico will play against Panama on June 30th in Nissan Stadium in Nashville. They will later play against Nigeria in the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on July 3rd.