El Tri vs Paraguay: Liga MX hopefuls to get one last tryout

Mexico coach Gerardo Martino still has several slots open on his World Cup roster and his next chance to evaluate candidates comes next week when El Tri faces Paraguay in a friendly in Atlanta.

“Tata” will soon announce his selection for the exhibition match – exclusively from Liga MX as it is not an official FIFA date so European teams are not required to release players.

The expectation is that the El Tri coaching staff will focus on fortifying the back end of the World Cup roster while also looking at key personnel in attack. They will also have an eye on the future by giving a few new phenoms a chance to train with them.

Veterans such as América forward Henry Martín and Monterrey midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro will have an opportunity to impress Martino with time running out ahead of Qatar. El Tri only has two remaining friendlies before the World Cup and as they both (vs Peru on Sept. 24, vs Ecuador on Sept. 27) occur on a FIFA date, “Tata” will surely focus on fine-tuning tactics with his preferred starting line-up and top reserves.

Injury concerns for El Tri

Heading into the summer, the consensus among local pundits was that “Tata” had 21 of the 26 spots filled, but El Tri was dealt a bitter blow last week when winger Jesús “Tecatito” Corona – a starter in the minds of most – suffered a broken leg at the Sevilla training ground.

The injury opens up an extra roster spot and playmakers such as Fernando Beltrán (Chivas), Robert Alvarado (Chivas) and Sebastián Córdova (Tigres) should see action against Paraguay. All three have been in El Tri training camps under Martino and all three were on the Olympic team that won bronze medals in Tokyo last summer.

In addition, Chivas winger Alexis Vega – another bronze medalist – will be auditioning for the starting spot, an advantage over Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens) and Diego Lainez (Sporting Braga) who are unavailable for the Paraguay match.

Santos Laguna goalie Carlos Acevedo is likely to get a chance to make his case to be named the team’s No. 3 goalie though veterans Rodolfo Cota (León) and Jonathan Orozco (Tijuana) hope to have the same opportunity. Guillermo Ochoa (América) and Alfredo Talavera (FC Juárez) are believed to be Martino’s top two choices.

Youngsters such as América defender Emilio Lara and Pachuca fullback Kevin Álvarez will hope to impress enough to get invited to the September El Tri training camp, while critics will be poised to complain if Monterrey’s Arturo González (4 goals and 5 assists in the Liga MX season thus far) is not on Thursday’s list.

As for the aforementioned Henry Martín – also a bronze medalist – he is eager to demonstrate his fine form and perhaps move himself into the back-up striker role (behind Raúl Jiménez) as Monterrey’s Rogelio Funes Mori will miss the Paraguay match with a thigh complaint.