Peter Vermes backs Alan Pulido after he misses World Cup qualifiers

Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes backed forward Alan Pulido after he missed out on the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, adding that his omission from Mexico’s roster benefits the Major League Soccer club. 

Mexico’s recent decision to leave out Pulido comes as a surprise after the Sporting Kansas player featured for his country during both Concacaf tournaments this summer. 

Manager Tata Martino chose to reinforce the other aspects of the roster, only calling up Jonathan dos Santos and Rodolfo Pizarro from the American league. 

“I think the world of him, I think that he's a fantastic player and he does very well for our team,” Vermes said of their 30-year-old Designated Player. 

“But I also just think just for him as a player, this consistency of training, games, all of that, is going to be good for him. And I also think it's not only going to be good for us, but it's also good for Mexico in the long run as well because he'll be in good form.”

Pulido featured in three of Mexico’s six Gold Cup matches, coming off the bench during the final against the United States men’s national team. He currently competes against Monterrey player Rogelio Funes Mori and Wolverhampton star Raul Jimenez for a spot on the pitch. 

Vermes insists sidelining Pulido from the qualifiers ultimately benefits the player and the club as he focuses on improving in a focused environment. 

“I think in the last tournament he didn't play a lot,” Vermes said. “When you're playing every three to four days, there's not a lot of training that goes on either. So he needs this time, I think to get back into full fitness and into rhythm. So for him, I think it's very good”

El Tri defeated Jamaica 2-1 and will go on to play Panama and Costa Rica in the upcoming days.