Mexico names 2014 World Cup squad
Mexico manager Miguel Herrera named his 23-man squad for this summer's World Cup during a press conference on Friday, and offered a couple of surprises with regards to European-based players.
Villarreal midfielder Giovani Dos Santos, so often a lightning rod for debate in the build-up to this announcement due to his perceived inability to fit into Herrera's preferred 5-3-2 system, is indeed going to Brazil.
The crafty playmaker will be joined by Tigres defender Carlos Salcido, whose place in the squad was also a point of contention after he spent recent months out of the national team fold.
Meanwhile, the likes of Javier Hernandez and Rafa Marquez have also been included, to the surprise of absolutely nobody. Should the latter captain the team come June (as expected), the 35-year-old will make history.
Rafa Márquez is on Mexico's World Cup squad. He could be the 1st player to be captain at 4 different World Cups.
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) May 9, 2014
Also of note, the roster is comprised of 16 players who ply their trade in their home country - something that must always be taken into consideration for whomever is managing the Mexican team.
Here's the full squad:
Goalkeepers
Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul), Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
Defenders
Paul Aguilar (Club América), Andrés Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen), Miguel Layún (Club América), Rafael Márquez (Club León), Héctor Moreno (Espanyol), Diego Reyes (FC Porto), Francisco Rodríguez (Club America), Carlos Salcido (Tigres UANL)
Midfielders
Isaac Brizuela (Toluca), Marco Fabián (Cruz Azul), Héctor Herrera (FC Porto), Juan Carlos Medina (Club América), Luis Montes (Club León), Carlos Peña (Club Leòn), José Juan Vázquez (Club León)
Forwards
Giovani Dos Santos (Villarreal), Javier Hernández (Manchester United), Raúl Jiménez (Club América), Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna), Alan Pulido (Tigres (UANL)