8 Fringe Players Who Could Make Late Run for Mexico Copa America Squad
Mexico will resume activities next March, when they start their preparation toward the Copa America and the Gold Cup, which means coach Miguel Herrera has to put together two competitive teams.
With one of the most talented group of Mexicans playing abroad, and a bunch of youngsters who are making an impact in the Liga MX, the competition will be ferocious.
Some positions will be especially tough. For instance, the centre-backs have faltered constantly and with Hector Moreno and Rafael Marquez set to reappear in 2015, El Piojo will need to have backup on the bench.
In the attacking zone there don't seem to be any options.
Carlos Vela's return to El Tri, plus Javier Hernandez, Oribe Peralta, Giovani dos Santos and Erick Torres fully committed to the team, making the Copa America squad will be tougher than ever.
Let's take a look at eight fringe players who have a shot at appearing next summer in Chile.
Jorge Torres Nilo (UANL)
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Jorge Torres Nilo seemed to be Carlos Salcido's successor with El Tri.
The UANL left-back played regularly for Mexico under Jose Manuel de la Torre's command. However, Torres never really secured the starting position.
Miguel Layun became the go-to man when Miguel Herrera took over the team, while the UANL footballer was relegated and became a sub.
Injuries (h/t Soccerly.com) have also been the reason why he hasn't proved his worth with Mexico since El Piojo took over.
Despite it all, Torres is an experienced defender who has appeared in international competitions, such as the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup.
With Tigres, he continues to be a thriving force. He appeared 15 times in the 2014 Apertura tournament, as well as in the Liguilla quarterfinals.
If he can stay injury-free, he has a shot at making the team, although the competition will be ferocious with Layun, Adrian Aldrete and Miguel Ponce fighting for a spot.
Jesus Zavala (Monterrey)
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Jesus Zavala is a strong central midfielder who has been playing in the Liga MX since 2006, and always with Monterrey.
He received his first cap for Mexico national team in 2011 and has earned a lot of experience ever since. Zavala has played in one Confederations Cup and a World Cup qualifier.
He is the type of footballer who can feed balls to the forwards, organize the center of the pitch and help the back line when in distress.
This season with Rayados, Zavala had an average pass accuracy of 86 percent and won 51 percent of the duels in which he was involved.
The last time he was capped for the national team was last April for a friendly game against the United States.
Marco Fabian (Cruz Azul)
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Marco Fabian has been far from the player he was in the 2014 Clausura, when he put the ball away seven times and made the 2014 World Cup Mexico team.
In the 2014 Apertura Fabian failed to make an impact for Cruz Azul, and eventually the club failed to qualify for the Liguilla.
Fabian's shot accuracy was as low as 36 percent, with a conversion rate of 2.3 percent. He only won 44 percent of his duels and received five yellow cards.
His performance with Mexico wasn't spectacular either. After the World Cup, Fabian appeared against Bolivia, Panama and Honduras, failing to score or create goal opportunities.
The lack of left midfielders with Fabian's body build and creativity could put him on his way to Chile.
Eduardo Herrera (UNAM)
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Eduardo Herrera returned to UNAM to have his best season in the Liga MX since he debuted in 2011.
In the regular season, the forward put the ball away eight times, more than any of his teammates. He also created 15 goal opportunities, including one assist.
Despite being a key element for Pumas, Herrera has yet to receive a chance with Mexico national team.
So far, coach Miguel Herrera (not related) has a lot of options for the attacking zone, starting with those playing in Europe, such as Carlos Vela, Raul Jimenez, Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos.
He has also given an opportunity to Erick Torres, when he played for Chivas USA, and Liga MX players Oribe Peralta and Javier Orozco.
Eduardo Herrera’s chances seem slim, especially because El Piojo usually goes with a 5-3-2 system.
Luis Venegas (Atlas)
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Miguel Herrera has had a lot of trouble in the back line in the past six games.
The Mexico coach has tried several players in the center of the box, as he couldn't call up Hector Moreno due to injury or Rafael Marquez.
One of the players who received an opportunity was Luis Venegas.
The Atlas centre-back clocked 270 minutes with El Tri, after appearing in front of Bolivia, Panama and Belarus, with poor results.
Against the Europeans, he recovered one ball and completed 79 percent of the passes he sent, according to Mi Seleccion Gamecast (Spanish).
Venegas has been constantly overpowered by the rivals, which will probably put him on the bench if he makes the Copa America squad.
Isaac Brizuela (Toluca)
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Isaac Brizuela had a breakthrough tournament during the 2014 Clausura.
Conejito scored three times and created 16 goal opportunities. He had 86 percent of pass completion and 57 percent of pass accuracy.
His performance in that tournament secured him a spot in Mexico's 2014 World Cup team.
Brizuela couldn't keep the momentum going and in the 2014 Apertura he only started four games in 12 matchdays. He scored his first goal of the tournament in Week 13 and his second in the 15th.
Little by little he has proven to be working hard toward improving his performance. In the two-legged Liguilla quarterfinals, he played 135 minutes.
Brizuela created two goal opportunities and had 71 percent of pass completion.
Hugo Rodriguez (Pachuca)
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Hugo Rodriguez debuted with Mexico senior team against Belarus.
Like it happened with Venegas, coach Miguel Herrera gave the Pachuca centre-back a chance hoping to find a reliable footballer for his five-man defensive line.
But Rodriguez couldn't perform as he had been doing with his club during the 2014 Apertura and his first game with Mexico senior team was far from impressive.
Rodriguez's consistency with Pachuca included 90 percent of pass completion in 11 appearances (regular season), as well as 100 percent of shot accuracy.
In his defensive labors he registered 56 clearances, 47 interceptions and nine blocks.
He needs to go back to his old ways to make the trip to Chile.
Adrian Aldrete (Santos Laguna)
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Adrian Aldrete returned to El Tri after over a year of absence. He reappeared in the international friendly against the Netherlands.
The Santos Laguna left-back tried to create goal opportunities through that flank but he was unable to put in distress the Dutch.
This was also the reason why he faltered in his defensive duties. According to Mi Seleccion Gamecast (Spanish), the defender only recovered three balls and completed 71 percent of the passes he sent.
Aldrete is fighting for one of the toughest and most important positions in Miguel Herrera's tactical formation.
The left-back needs to be in shape and able to run up and down on a regular basis. Aldrete needs to step up to meet the coach's needs.
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