Mexico on Wednesday announced their 23-man roster for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the United States and Honduras.
Highlighting the roster are the usual suspects – goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, forwards Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernández, and winger Andrés Guardado, among others. In-form Real Sociedad forward Carlos Vela, who has been estranged from the national team, was again excluded from the selection.
Former Sporting KC forward Omar Bravo, who has scored five goals in 10 games since joining new club Atlas, was recalled for the first time in nearly four years.
Mexico will travel to Honduras – who feature four MLS players – on March 22 before returning to Mexico for the much-anticipated showdown with the United States on March 26. Mexico currently have one point from their sole game in the "Hex" after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica in February. The top three teams in the six-team round-robin tournament will qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the fourth-placed team facing Oceania's top team for the final berth.
Complete Mexico roster for World Cup qualifiers vs. Honduras, United States:
Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio/France), Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
Defenders: Severo Meza (Monterrey), Jonny Magallón (León), Francisco Javier "Maza" Rodríguez (América), Héctor Moreno (Espanyol/Spain), Hugo Ayala (Tigres UANL), Diego Reyes (América), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres UANL), Carlos Salcido (Tigres UANL)
Midfielders: Jesús Zavala (Monterrey), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Jesús Molina (América), Héctor Herrera (Pachuca), Javier Aquino (Villarreal/Spain), Andrés Guardado (Valencia/Spain), Ángel Reyna (Pachuca)
Forwards: Giovani dos Santos (Mallorca/Spain), Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna), Javier Hernández (Manchester United/England), Omar Bravo (Atlas), Raúl Jiménez (América)
