Mexico announces squad for Peru and Colombia friendlies

Mexico announced the call up of 31 players for the September friendlies against Peru and Colombia. In what will be the last FIFA dates before leagues end and training camps start for the World Cup, Coach Gerardo Martino called up almost every player in the running which makes it probable that the final list of 26 players for the World Cup will come out of said list, although nothing has been made clear. Mexico plays against Peru on Saturday, September 24 and against Colombia on Tuesday, September 27th.

The call up list is the following:

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (America), Alfredo Talavera (Juarez), Rodolfo Cota (Leon)

Defenders: Edson Alvarez (Ajax), Johan Vasquez (Cremonense), Gerardo Arteaga (RKC Genk), Jorge Sanchez (Ajax), Hector Moreno (Monterrey), Nestor Araujo (America), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca), Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey), Jesus Alberto Angulo (Tigres).

Midfielders: Andres Guardado (Betis), Diego Lainez (Sporting Braga), Erick Gutierrez (PSV Eindhoven), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens), Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo), Uriel Antuna (Cruz Azul), Luis Chavez (Pachuca), Carlos Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Luis Romo (Monterrey), Fernando Beltran (Chivas), Erick Sanchez (Pachuca), Roberto Alvarado (Chivas).

Forwards: Raul Jimenez (Wolverhampton), Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord), Hirving Lozano (Napoli), Alexis Vega (Chivas), Henry Martin (America), Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey).

While they were few surprises, the most notable has been Carlos Acevedo not making the call up list for Rodolfo Cota. Acevedo looked to be geared to get that 3rd goalkeeper spot, especially after getting a couple of NT starts, including the last friendly against Paraguay. He’s also had a better season and is a young prospect at goalkeeper spot instead of Cota, who isn’t playing as well in Leon and at 35, is not a prospect at all. Other players missing are Sebastian Cordova and Rodolfo Pizarro, who Martino constantly called up during this process despite fans’ clamors for them not to be. Mexico will be playing against Peru and Colombia in their final friendlies in the United States. In November, they’ll have a training camp in Spain prior to the World Cup where they’ll have their final games before the 2022 World Cup when they play against Irak and Sweden in Girona.