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: Tom Harrison, Bryan W, Amy Lopez, Jason Marquitz, Raul Barraza and yours truly.
Here are the rankings for the current top 25 Mexican players:
1. Andres Guardado
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
“Finishing up another great season in Europe. Mexico needs him healthy for a Confederations Cup run.” – Raul
2. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: Villarreal
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
“Rumours of Jona joining his brother in LA are gathering pace, but the midfielder has played well for Villarreal of late, as they search for European qualification.” – Tom
3. Carlos Vela
Club: Real Sociedad
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Carlos V continues to show his quality game after game. I can’t see him being any less than top 3 for some time to come.” – Bryan
4. Javier Hernandez
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“It’s been real unlucky what’s been going on with Leverkusen this season. Is he still a good player? Of course. But the club’s performances crumbling so close to the summer could be discouraging or make him eager to come back to El Tri.” – Amy
5. Hector Moreno
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Once again, Moreno has consistently proven that he is Mexico’s best central defender. A key player in the upcoming Confederations Cup.” – Cesar
6. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“With the form that he has been in after his recovery, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fabian make his way into the top five of this list.” – Cesar
7. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“Flying the highest of the 3 Mexican dragons but needs to be more consistent.” – Raul
8. Diego Reyes
Club: Espanyol
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“After enjoying his best season in Europe so far, is it time for Reyes to become a mainstay at centre-back for El Tri?” – Tom
9. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 28
Position: Defender
“this hasn’t been Layún’s season, but I still see him as a major asset to Mexico in an important summer.” – Bryan
10. Hirving Lozano
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“He’s got a bad rap for the amount of cards he’s gotten this season with Pachuca but to be on a winning team is a definite advantage considering the Europe transfer rumors.” – Amy
11. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
“He’s had his bright moments with Porto but needs to get much more playing time. With the national team, another young midfielder might be able to steal his starting role this summer.” – Cesar
12. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“Injury problems have hurt his chances with Benfica this season. Hoping that Mexico’s busy summer offers him more opportunities to find the back of the net.” – Cesar
13. Giovani dos Santos
Club: L.A. Galaxy
Age: 27
Position: Striker
“MLS or not, he will be counted on this summer for El Tri.” – Raul
14. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Granada
Age: 31
Position: Goalkeeper
“Despite Ochoa’s best efforts, Granada have been relegated. His next move is crucial, European teams should be interested, but MLS may tempt ‘Memo.’ ” – Tom
15. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Fiorentina
Age: 23
Position: Defender
“He deserves to be higher on this list, hopefully he can stay in Europe and get his full playing time to show that…” – Bryan
16. Orbelin Pineda
Club: Chivas
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Internationally, there’s a handful of midfielders for El Tri already so it’s tough competition but the work he’s been doing with Chivas is making him a worthy contender.” – Amy
17. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Plays under the shadow of Lozano but deserves much more credit for his work in Liga MX. Gutierrez also has the talents to emerge as a star in the Gold Cup.” – Cesar
18. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“Another young player to keep an eye on during the Gold Cup. European clubs should be following the central defender who continues to gain confidence.” – Cesar
19. Oribe Peralta
Club: America
Age: 33
Position: Striker
“Scoring once every 3.64 shots across the 2016/17 season, Peralta is still a key man for América, and a useful option for Osorio.” – Tom
20. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Playing well on a loaded Tigres squad.” – Raul
21. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“Néstor goes under the radar, but he is a solid defender who shows up for club and country.” – Bryan
22. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
“Again, the midfielder issue makes it hard to really determine yourself. But, with two tournaments this year, he might qualify as a strong sub for Confeds Cup or even a starter in the Gold Cup.” – Amy
23. Jurgen Damm
Club: Tigres
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Will Damm move to Europe this summer? The player will undoubtedly cost some serious $$$, but it might be a worthwhile investment for the winger with an incredible amount of pace with the ball.” – Cesar
24. Alfredo Talavera
Club: Toluca
Age: 34
Position: Goalkeeper
“Mexico’s #2 in net. Keeping in mind that Osorio loves to rotate his goalkeepers, Talavera is likely to get at least a couple of starts during the next few months.” – Cesar
25. Jose Juan Vazquez
Club: Chivas
Age: 29
Position: Midfielder
“Mexico is loaded in the midfield but seeing him start on GC team is not out of the question.” – Raul
Honorable mentions: Rafael Marquez, Jesus Molina, Diego Lainez, Fernando Navarro, Jesus Gallardo, Jesus Dueñas.
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