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: Francisco Velasco, Bryan W, Jon Arnold, Jason Marquitz, Steve Graff and yours truly.
1. Andres Guardado
Club: Real Betis
Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
“There’s no doubt about it, Guardado continues to be the most influential player in the Mexican national team.” -Cesar
2. Hirving Lozano
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“One of Mexico’s most important players continues to shine abroad with PSV.” -Bryan
3. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“The prospect of having Tecatito and Chucky keying the Mexico attack should give great hope to Mexico supporters ahead of the World Cup.” -Jason
4. Javier Hernandez
Club: West Ham
Age: 29
Position: Striker
“The striker has only returned to training two days ago. Whether or not Chicharito will feature for David Moyes, a coach who had sidelined him before, remains to be seen once he’s healthy.” -Steve
5. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Herrera is having a noteworthy second wind in his career. A good showing in the World Cup might be able to provide a move away from Porto that we have all been wanting to see.” -Cesar
6. Hector Moreno
Club: Roma
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Needs to get more playing time, especially with such an important year coming up.” -Bryan
7. Carlos Vela
Club: Real Sociedad
Age: 28
Position: Striker/Winger
“Short-timer status at Real Sociedad has not been great for his form.” -Jason
8. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: LA Galaxy
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Despite some rumors on social media, the LA Galaxy midfielder is not being considered as a potential reinforcement by Miguel Herrera, despite the coach’s push for more Mexican signings.” -Steve
9. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“There’s room for improvement for Salcedo, but the young defender will continue to be a key player for JCO during next year.” -Cesar
10. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“We saw what he could do against Poland, he needs to go continue to fight for his minutes with Benfica.” -Bryan
11. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Standard Liege
Age: 32
Position: Goalkeeper
“His highlight reel has been bolstered of late as he continues to shine in Belgium.” -Jason
12. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Layun has seen only substitutes’ minutes so far in 2017-18. Whether he has a role to play with O Dragoes after December or not, Layun and Porto could finish their Champions League group stage.” -Steve
13. Diego Reyes
Club: Porto
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“It’s imperative that Reyes finds a move over the winter. If not, he will continue to ride the bench for Porto.” -Cesar
14. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Will need to be spot on with Tigres to start catching JCO’s eye for an XI spot.” -Bryan
15. Edson Alvarez
Club: America
Age: 20
Position: Defender/Midfielder
“Not the best showing for his club in the Liguilla, but Alvarez is clearly a rising star with a big move in his future.” -Jason
16. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 26
Position: Defender
“The Santos Laguna defender found a place in Osorio’s defender rotation, and could be set to leave Torreon in next week’s draft with both Club America and Chivas among his suitors.” -Steve
17. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
“All signs point to a return to the pitch in the near future for Fabian. Fingers crossed that there won’t be more back problems for him during the next several months.
18. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
“Hoping to see a major step up from Erick during the Club World Cup.” -Bryan
19. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“With continued positive play, Montes seems set for a reserve role in Russia.” -Jason
20. Elias Hernandez
Club: Leon
Age: 29
Position: Winger
“The Leon outside midfielder continues to be one of the best Mexican playmakers still based in Mexico, and one of the talismen who helped La Fiera qualify for La Liguilla despite being close to bottom of the Apertura table for the opening phase of the season.” -Steve
21. Giovani dos Santos
Club: LA Galaxy
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Gio’s relevance to the national team is in decline. He’ll need to hit the ground running for the Galaxy next season if he wishes to go to Russia 2018.” -Cesar
22. Oribe Peralta
Club: America
Age: 33
Position: Striker
“Underwhelming last few games with América. Oribe will need a big upcoming season for club and country.” -Bryan
23. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
” Like a few of his club teammates, his place in the World Cup squad will likely need to be a earned in the next six months.” -Jason
24. Jose de Jesus Corona
Club: Cruz Azul
Age: 36
Position: Goalkeeper
“The Cruz Azul goalkeeper, for now, remains in place as his club’s long-standing arquero. Could new manager Pedro Caixinha decide that he’s no longer good enough to challenge the Nuevo Leon sides?” -Steve
25. Omar Govea
Club: Royal Excel Mouscron
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Although there likely won’t be space for Govea in the World Cup roster, the young midfielder has still proven to be an intriguing figure to consider for the next generation of El Tri.” -Cesar
Honorable mentions: Jesus Gallardo, Victor Guzman, Orbelin Pineda, Jesus Dueñas, Jurgen Damm.
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