Diego Cocca names Mexico's preliminary 40-player roster for CONCACAF Nations League
Mexican national team head coach Diego Cocca announced the preliminary 40-player roster for the CONCACAF Nations League finals in June, with Santiago Gimenez and Edson Alvarez headlining the squad.
El Tri prepares to face the U.S. men's national team in the semifinals on June 15 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the hopes of reaching the finals against Panama or Canada. The roster must be narrowed down to 23 figures in the week before the knockout match, giving Cocca plenty of time to assess his options with the players listed.
The new manager called up several young figures, as Club America goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon, Atlas' Ozziel Herrera, Pachuca’s Roberto De La Rosa and Santos Laguna figure Omar Campos all earning a spot on the preliminary list after a standout 2023 Liga MX Clausura campaign.
But a few key players are notably missing from the squad, including Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano.
The Serie A player is currently sidelined after suffering a knee injury during Napoli's 1-0 over Fiorentina on May 7. Though El Tri remains cautiously optimistic Lozano will return to the pitch by the CONCACAF Gold Cup in late June and early July.
Chicharito, on the other hand, hinted about a possible return to the national team after revealing he "received a call" from newly appointed Cocca. Though Hernandez still stands as the all-time goalscorer for the national team, his relationship with El Tri saw a decline in 2019. He last played for Mexico on September 6, 2019, and despite the ongoing rumors that he would make the Nations League list, the wait for his return continues.
Other Mexican national team veterans excluded from the list include Houston Dynamo's Hector Herrera, Leon's Rodolfo Cota, FC Juarez's Alfredo Talavera, and Monterrey figures Rogelio Funes Mori and Hector Moreno.
Here's the full roster:
Goalkeepers
- Carlos Acevedo
- Miguel Jimenez Ponce
- Francisco Guillermo Ochoa
- Jose Antonio Rodriguez
Defenders
- Kevin Alvarez
- Jesus Angulo
- Nestor Araujo
- Julian Araujo
- Gerardo Arteaga
- Israel Reyes
- Jesus Orozco Chiquete
- Victor Guzman
- Omar Campos
- Cesar Montes
- Jorge Sanchez
- Gilberto Sepulveda
- Johan Vazquez
Midfielders
- Edson Alvarez
- Fernando Beltran
- Alan Cervantes
- Luis Chavez
- Sebastian Cordova
- Jesus Gallardo
- Erick Gutierrez
- Aldo Rocha
- Diego Lainez
- Orbelin Pineda
- Charly Rodriguez
- Luis Romo
Forwards
- Uriel Antuna
- Jesus 'Tecatito' Corona
- Roberto De La Rosa
- Santiago Gimenez
- Raul Jimenez
- Ozziel Herrera
- Henry Martin
- Erick Sanchez
- Alexis Vega