THE MEXICO TOP 25!
If you aren’t aware of my current project, I will be collaborating with other El Tri experts every month and rank who we deem to be the best Mexican players at the moment. It isn’t a “best of the month” list, but recent performances will of course influence our decisions. It should be fun.
Remember, these rankings are subjective. My main goal is to inspire discussion and conversations about our top players. Let us know any and all thoughts.
Collaborators from this month include: Jason Marquitz, Tom Harrison, Steve Graff and yours truly.
Here are the rankings for the current top 25 Mexican players:
1. Carlos Vela
Club: Real Sociedad
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Mexico’s most dynamic offensive option was big again this summer, yet unused in Mexico’s biggest match.” -Jason
2. Andres Guardado
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
“With Héctor Herrera moving to the deep-lying playmaker role, Guardado wasn’t as influential as usual during the Confederations Cup. He was still sorely missed in the semi-final though.” -Tom
3. Javier Hernandez
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 29
Position: Striker
“Despite his lack of goalscoring, the Bayer Leverkusen striker is once again a hot commodity on the transfer market as Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham are both reportedly interested in his services.” -Steve
4. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: Villarreal
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Mexico’s best player from the Confederations Cup. No longer lost in the shadow of his older brother, Jonathan has recently become a key figure for the national team.” -Cesar
5. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“Personal issues took him away from the Mexico squad and his absence was clearly felt.” -Jason
6. Hector Moreno
Club: Roma
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Moreno’s growth into a leadership role is promising as Mexico try to replace the influence of Rafa Márquez.” -Tom
7. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“The Eintracht winger was mostly used as a substitute during the Confederations Cup, and even then was not particularly effective. But this Confederations Cup was a tournament where the team as a collective were rarely effective in their play.” -Steve
8. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“El Tri’s #2 striker behind Chicharito. Will he make a move to a different club in the near future?” -Cesar
9. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Reasserted his position as an integral piece in Mexico’s midfield this summer.” -Jason
10. Hirving Lozano
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Now the hard work begins. ‘Chucky’ has the opportunity to develop into a much more rounded attacking player at PSV, but the move represents a huge challenge.” -Tom
11. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“When he played, he was the Mexico player most willing to be individualistic to generate the goal-scoring chances that Mexico so infrequently created during the tournament.” -Steve
12. Diego Reyes
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“Although Reyes still needs to refine his game, he continues to be an integral part of the defense.” -Cesar
13. Orbelin Pineda
Club: Chivas
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Orbelin has a big year ahead of him as he makes the push for a place in Russia next year.” -Jason
14. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 23
Position: Defender
“Fingers crossed Salcedo will be used as a centre-back by Eintracht Frankfurt. The former Chivas man has struggled at right-back for club and country.” -Tom
15. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Layun continued to be a utilitarian player for El Tri, but one that O Dragoes have recognized was easily replaceable. He’s been linked to a second return move to Mexico, but this time to Monterrey.” -Steve
16. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Free Agent
Age: 31
Position: Goalkeeper
“Ochoa is worthy of an opportunity with a big club. Somebody sign him now.” -Cesar
17. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
“There’s an argument to be made that his addition to Chivas is what pushed them over the top.” -Jason
18. Giovani dos Santos
Club: L.A. Galaxy
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Gio heads back to LA Galaxy with question marks over his future in the Mexico squad, after a poor summer. You have to cut Dos Santos some slack though, he was played out of position in central-midfield.” -Tom
19. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
“The Pachuca captain enters the international spotlight on his own with Sunday’s Gold Cup opener. But it’s a spotlight where he’ll be obligated to generate many clear goal-scoring chances from the run of play.” -Steve
20. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“Once a questionable call-up, Araujo has now become a regular member of Mexico’s first team.” -Cesar
21. Jesus Dueñas
Club: Tigres
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
“The Tigres midfielder is underappreciated for his ability to look like a natural in nearly any position on the field.” -Jason
22. Oribe Peralta
Club: America
Age: 33
Position: Striker
“Oribe’s winning goal against New Zealand proved that he still brings value to El Tri. Peralta has a good chance of making the World Cup squad if he continues to score for Club América.” -Tom
23. Luis Reyes
Club: Atlas
Age: 26
Position: Defender
“The Atlas left back, for better or worse, is now Osorio’s best outside defender. Of the new players “the tinkerer” introduced into the main squad, Reyes has proved to be his most reliable in attack and in defense.” -Steve
24. Alfredo Talavera
Club: Toluca
Age: 34
Position: Goalkeeper
“As long as he continues to shine in Liga MX, Talavera should be able to maintain his backup role with the national team for at least a couple more years.” -Cesar
25. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“A strong Gold Cup showing could make the case for a place with the Mexico ‘A squad’.” -Jason
Honorable mentions: Jurgen Damm, Alan Pulido, Elias Hernandez, Rafael Marquez, Jose Juan Vazquez.
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