Mexico will try to confirm their chances of making a lasting impression in the 2018 World Cup with the 23-man list unveiled by coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
The Colombian coach, who has been harshly criticized by the local media for his rotation policy, raised a few eyebrows with his call up, since he decided to leave some rising stars out in order to take some players that are not living their best moments on a football pitch.
Coach's objectives
Mexico's mail goal during the 2018 World Cup will be, like in the past six World Cups, to make it past the Round of 16 match. That notion might be more complicated than initially expected, since their first KO stage would be against those teams that survive Group E, which includes Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.
New faces
Hirving Lozano - PSV's wingman became one of the Eredivisie's sensations in his debut season, as he had a hand in 26 goals (17 goals, 9 assists). "Chucky" is deemed to be one of Mexico's biggest threats in the 2018 World Cup.
Lozano has been linked to a move away from PSV, with Manchester City and Juventus as potential suitors.
Veterans
Rafael Márquez will appear in his 5th World Cup, in what will mark the end of his impressive career. The former Barcelona center back will try to become the first Mexican player to score in four different World Cups. Other veteran footballers included in Mexico's preliminary squad are Oribe Peralta, Javier Hernández and Andrés Guardado.
Márquez has played more World Cup games (16) than any other Mexican player in history.
Major absences
There will always be controversy in a World Cup list, and Mexico's is no exception. Local journalists suggested that Chivas' midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro should have been included in this list due to his impressive form of late, but Osorio snubbed him due to his lack of commitment to the team's needs, especially during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he failed to show his skills.
.jpg)
Full squad list
Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa, Jesús Corona, Alfredo Talavera
Defenders: Edson Alvarez, Hugo Ayala, Jesús Gallardo, Miguel Layún, Héctor Moreno, Diego Reyes, Carlos Salcedo.
Midfielders: Jesús Manuel Corona, Marco Fabián, Giovani Dos Santos, Jonathan Dos Santos, Andrés Guardado, Érick Gutierrez(backup player), Héctor Herrera, Rafael Márquez.
Strikers: Javier Aquino, Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, Raúl Jiménez, Hirving Lozano, Oribe Peralta, Carlos Vela
Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio.
These 23 warriors have dreamed of this moment: To represent in the @FIFAWorldCup. This summer that dream comes true. Here is our roster for the #WorldCup #NadaNosDetiene pic.twitter.com/L6Y73zyHMt
— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) June 4, 2018
