Mexico needs to quickly get back in the saddle after its experience in the Qatar World Cup 2022 qualifying round. Mexico’s up-and-down campaign, which included consecutive losses to the USA and Canada, came to a predictable conclusion with an easy ticket to the World Cup finals despite never playing that well. When they defeated weak Honduran and Jamaican teams, they appeared especially clunky. Qatar needs to do better.
In the CONCACAF qualifying rounds, Mexico finished behind Canada on goal differential.
Their best results occurred in the 1970 and 1986 editions, when they, coincidentally, served as hosts, reaching the quarterfinals.
Along with group favorites Argentina, Asian superpower Saudi Arabia, and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, they are placed in Group C.
Although a difficult group, Tata Martino will be hoping that his team can at least advance to the knockout rounds from where anything is possible. Scroll to read about has announced the 26-man team Martino will field in the championship game.
Mexico Squad, Captain, and Coach
- Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa, Alfredo Talavera, Rodolfo Cota
- Defenders: Hector Moreno, Jesus Gallardo, Nestor Araujo, Cesar Montes, Jorge Sanchez, Gerardo Arteaga, Kevin Alvarez, Johan Vasquez
- Midfielders: Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, Edson Alvarez, Orbelin Pineda, Uriel Antuna, Erick Gutierrez, Carlos Rodriguez, Roberto Alvarado, Luis Romo, Alexis Vega, Luis Chavez
- Forwards: Raul Jimenez, Hirving Lozano, Henry Martin, Rogelio Funes Mori
- Captain: Andres Guardado
- Coach: Gerardo Martino
Mexico Star Players
1. Guillermo Ochoa
This winter, Guillermo Ochoa will represent Mexico in his fifth and undoubtedly final World Cup as they aim to be the surprise team in Qatar.
The 37-year-old, known as “Memo” in his native country, has earned recognition for his appearances on football’s biggest stage.
Even after rejecting a shot, his reflexes are so quick that he can easily perform a collapse dive with just one hand. When the opposition managed to get past the defense, Ochoa knew how to work inside the box to narrow the angle and cover his goal as much as possible.
Ochoa rose through the ranks of the American professional league, and in 2007, during his first season, he became the first Mexican to receive a Ballon d’Or nomination.
Ochoa may not have achieved the heights in his club career that he had hoped for, but on the international stage, things are very different.
With 130 appearances under his belt, the superstar goalkeeper from Guadalajara debuted for his nation in 2005.
In spite of being called up to the World Cup squads in 2006 and 2010, he did not play in either tournament. After that loss, Ochoa came back to Russia in 2018 with a vengeance, making 25 saves in just FOUR games for Mexico.
2. Andres Guardado
Guardado has represented Mexico in four World Cups, four Gold Cups (winning 2011, 2015, and 2019 tournaments), two Copa Américas, and two Confederations Cups since 2005.
To their fifth World Cup, Andres Guardado is going. Nine players from Europe were called up by Martino, who wants to lead Mexico to their first World Cup quarterfinal in more than three decades. One of those players was a 36-year-old Guardado, who plays for Real Betis in Spain.
He is tied for tenth on the all-time scoring list with 28 goals with 178 caps for the national team.
They named Guardado to the final 23-man World Cup squad, his first as captain, in 2018. He took part in every game, including the round of 16 loss to Brazil, after playing 74 minutes in the opening match, a 1-0 victory over Germany. The Mexican sports publication Récord reported that he had played through the tournament despite having a muscle injury after their elimination.
Mexico World Cup 2022 Possible Lineup
- Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa
- Defenders: Hector Moreno, Jorge Sanchez, Gerardo Arteaga, Nestor Araujo
- Midfielders: Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, Carlos Rodriguez
- Forward: Alexis Vega, Hirving Lozano, Rogelio Funes Mori
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