New interim Mexican National Team coach Ricardo "El Tuca" Ferretti has announced his roster for Mexico’s upcoming September friendlies. On September 4th El Tri will play against Trinidad and Tobago and on September 8th they will take Lionel Messi and Argentina. These are the only games Ferretti will have to work with Mexico before their match-up against the United States on October 10th at the Rose Bowl to determine which Gold Cup champion (USA in 2013 & Mexico in 2015 respectfully) will represent CONCACAF at the Confederations Cup in 2017.
GOALKEEPERS:
Moises Munoz - America
Alfredo Talavera - Toluca
DEFENDERS:
Paul Aguilar - America
Diego Reyes - Real Sociedad
Francisco Rodriguez - Cruz Azul
Rafael Marquez - Hellas Verona
Hector Moreno - PSV
Oswaldo Alanis - Chivas de Guadalajara
Miguel Layun - Watford
Jorge Torres Nilo - Tigres
MIDFIELDERS:
Jesus Duenas - Tigres
Jose Juan Vazquez - Leon
Javier Guemez - America
Javier Aquino - Tigres
Hector Herrera - Porto
Luis Montes - Leon
Carlos Esquivel - Toluca
Andres Guardado - PSV
Jesus Manuel Corona - Twente FC
FORWARDS:
Javier Hernandez - Manchester United
Oribe Peralta - America
Carlos Vela - Real Sociedad
Raul Jimenez - Benfica
Some first observations about Ferretti's roster:
- Ferretti decided not to change much and to make no really crazy changes to the roster that Miguel Herrera used. It’s doubtful that Ferretti will use the 5-3-2 formation Herrera used with much of the same players, so it will be interesting to see how he plays them.
- They have Miguel Layun as a defender, but at his club, Watford, Layun has been used as midfielder, both on the right and left side. Also, Jesus Duenas was listed as a midfielder, yet with Ferretti’s Tigres, he has also been known to play on the left flank.
- Ferretti didn’t call up either Dos Santos brother. Both haved had different summers. The younger Dos Santos, Jonathan, had a breakout year for Villarreal and in the summer for Mexico at the Gold Cup was their second best player. Meanwhile, older brother Giovani was hurt for most of last year including much of the Gold Cup and followed that by making a move to the LA Galaxy of MLS. He’s impressed early on in his MLS career, but we don’t know Ferretti’s opinion of the MLS yet and the argument if the league has enough quality.
- No Guillermo Ochoa or Jesus Corona, the two goalkeepers who were between the posts this summer. One in the Gold Cup and the other in the Copa America. Is Ochoa being left out for again, given that he was unable to win the starting spot at club team Malaga, where he spent last year on the bench?
- No Alan Pulido, the Olympiacos striker who is a former Tigres player. Yet after the 2014 World Cup he found himself in a disagreement with Ferretti’s club regarding whether he was a free agent and allowed to leave or not. After a 14-15 season that saw him suspended by Tigres and him not wanting to return, he finally had the move to Greek giants Olympiacos over this summer. Yet it might look like Ferretti hasn’t forgotten the way Pulido left his team.