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Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez Among Mexico's World Cup Provisional Squad Roster
May 14, 2018
Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio has named a preliminary squad of 28 players, including West Ham United striker Javier Hernandez, ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which gets underway June 14.
ESPN FC's Tom Marshall provided a breakdown of the players with a chance of making Mexico's final 23-man squad for Russia:
Osorio addressed the media and explained that while he would have liked to have named his 23-man squad Monday, injury doubts meant further assessment was needed, per Goal's Jon Arnold:
"What's clear is that if the World Cup started tomorrow, there are five players who couldn't be there: Nestor Araujo, Diego Reyes, Andres Guardado, Jonathan dos Santos and Giovani dos Santos. Now, on the medical theme, I think there's a space, a grey area. Our medical department is at a very high level, at an extraordinary level. It's debatable, in some cases, the proactivity or urgency with some medical cases need to be managed."
Monterrey youngster and United States youth international convert Jonathan Gonzalez, who earned his first senior Mexico cap in January, was highlighted by Marshall as a notable but to-be-expected absence:
Real Betis midfielder Andres Guardado will look to increase his tally as the third-most capped Mexico player of all time in the coming months, and the captain will be back to appear in his fourth successive World Cup.
Hernandez is El Tri's all-time highest scorer with 49 goals in 100 international appearances, and Chicharito will be out to make a mark with Mexico after finishing this Premier League season with only eight goals at West Ham.
One man who could help out with the goal drought in Russia this summer is winger Hirving Lozano, who finished his first Eredivisie season at PSV with 17 goals and eight assists, performing more like a striker at times, via Goal:
Unlike numerous other top national teams, Mexico tend to take heavy inspiration from the assets in their native Liga MX, and no fewer than 12 players from the division make up Osorio's latest squad.
The selection isn't lacking in experience, with nine players aged 30 or over and four of those at least 34.
The youngest player in the mix is 20-year-old Club America defender Edson Alvarez. Meanwhile, 39-year-old Rafael Marquez of Atlas is the eldest and is on the verge of featuring in his fifth World Cup, having already broken the Mexican record for matches played in the tournament (16).
Osorio has until June 4 to elect his final 23-man squad for the World Cup, with friendlies against Wales and Scotland taking place Tuesday, May 29 and Sunday, June 3 to help him decide who deserves to stay for the trip to Russia.