Mexico announce U-18 squad and participation in the Slovenia Nations Cup

Mexico announced their U-18 team will be taking part in the 2023 Slovenia Nations Cup from September 6-12. The team will be coached by U-18 NT coach Alex Diego. Mexico will play against United Arab Emirates on September 6th before facing the hosts on September 9th. They will then close out their tournament participation against Portugal on September 12th.

The call up list was the following:

Goalkeepers: Pablo Lara (UNAM Pumas), Luis Ramirez (Leon).

Defenders: Francisco Mendez (Chivas), Angel Chavez (Necaxa), Ari Contreras (Pachuca), Cesar Bustos (Monterrey), Jose Pachuca (Puebla), Everardo Lopez (Toluca).

Midfielders: Brandon Tellez (LA Galaxy), Jonathan Villal (Atlanta United), Ariel Castro (Chivas), Arath Moreno (Necaxa), Jesus Lara (Pachuca), Cristopher Benitez (Cruz Azul).

Forwards: Erick Medrano (Sporting Gijon), Antonio Herrera (Seattle Sounders), Anthony Ramirez (FC Dallas), Santiago Lopez (UNAM Pumas), Ian Orozco (FC Juarez), Alexei Dominguez (Pachuca).

The participation will be part of the long road to the 2025 U-20 World Cup. Mexico missed out on the last one (2023) after being eliminated by Guatemala in a result that also meant they’d lose out on the 2024 Olympic games, where they are the current bronze medalists.