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 Marshall, Amy Lopez, Jon Arnold, Steve Graff, Bryan W and yours truly.
1. Hirving Lozano
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“He has completely exceeded all expectations anyone had of his first season in Europe. It’s been an absolute breath of fresh air to see a young player do so well and not only have them play well for their club but have that translate over to the national team.” -Amy
2. Andres Guardado
Club: Real Betis
Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
“An injury forced Guardado to have a quiet end to 2017, but Mexico’s team captain will be sure bounce back and take charge for El Tri and Real Betis in 2018.” -Cesar
3. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Finally hitting a rhythm with his club, as well as getting major playing time.” -Bryan
4. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 25
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“The return of Vincent Aboubakar from a loan spell to Besiktas has relegated ‘Tecatito’ to substitute’s minutes for most of the season. Nevertheless, Tecatito has only netted two goals in all club competitions so far and picked up his first red card for Porto.” -Steve
5. Javier Hernandez
Club: West Ham
Age: 29
Position: Striker
“The club situation has not turned out the way many planned. Even with being in such a prestigious league, the managerial issues and lack of playing time are points of concern so close to the World Cup.” -Amy
6. Hector Moreno
Club: Roma
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Moreno should be #2 or #3 on this list, but a lack of playing time with Roma has continued to push Mexico’s best defender down the list. Not good news ahead of the World Cup.” -Cesar
7. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“A key player in the defense for Frankfurt which bodes well for Mexico in 2018.” -Bryan
8. Carlos Vela
Club: LAFC
Age: 28
Position: Striker/Winger
“The one-time Guadalajara striker netted from distance in his final match with Real Sociedad. He begins his football with new MLS franchise Los Angeles FC in March.” -Steve
9. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Standard Liege
Age: 32
Position: Goalkeeper
“Still one of our best if not our best option in the goal. He’s had a few moments of confidence with Standard Liege in the form of penalty saves. As this year progresses, hopefully he can continue that same performance.” -Amy
10. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Another key player without regular minutes abroad. It’s imperative that names like Raul Jimenez, Chicharito, Moreno and Layun start making more appearances for their respective clubs in Europe.” -Cesar
11. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“He’s on a bad drought and getting scrap minutes isn’t helping his confidence.” -Bryan
12. Diego Reyes
Club: Porto
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“After initially only being a rotational defender, Diego Reyes now started his side’s last three league matches, all wins, and scored two goals in that time. With the likes of Lazio reportedly interested in him, will Porto be able to hold onto Reyes at the end of the month?” -Steve
13. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: LA Galaxy
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“He should still be considered as one of Mexico’s most useful assets. He definitely has to prove his worth more than players in Europe after such a long break but I think he’s up to the challenge.” -Amy
14. Edson Alvarez
Club: America
Age: 20
Position: Defender/Midfielder
“A promising figure that continues to build upon his confidence with each game. I’m thrilled to see how he will perform during the next several months.” -Cesar
15. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Aquino’s return to Mexico has paid off as he is a regular on the NT and is lifting trophies with Tigres.” -Bryan
16. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“The former Mexico U-20 international was the only Mexican-born player under the age of 21 who featured significantly in the Apertura 2017 Liga MX final. His rise has drawn significant interest from Inter Milan in his services if a recent Gazetta dello Sport report on the interest is confirmed to be true.” -Steve
17. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
“We all know about Gutierrez’s potential, the big question going forward now is if he will take advantage of the Clausura and sneak into the World Cup roster.” -Cesar
18. Oribe Peralta
Club: America
Age: 33
Position: Striker
“Whether we like it or not, Peralta is still Mexico’s best striker outside of Europe. Barring some sort of incredible season from another younger option, Oribe will be a backup for El Tri in Russia 2018.” -Cesar
19. Omar Govea
Club: Royal Excel Mouscron
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Spoiler alert – Govea will be in Russia 2018 (if JCO is sane).” -Bryan
20. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 26
Position: Defender
“The Santos Laguna center back was on the radar of both Club America and Chivas, but ultimately stayed in Torreon after the winter draft. The defender looks to be a solid favorite to be called upon for Juan Carlos Osorio’s FIFA World Cup side.” -Steve
21. Elias Hernandez
Club: Leon
Age: 29
Position: Winger
“He’s proven he can be an effective midfielder–particularly during the group matches of the Gold Cup. He had six goals with Leon last season and should continue to improve this season as well.” -Amy
22. Giovani dos Santos
Club: LA Galaxy
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“If Gio continues his drop in form from 2017, he will soon be knocked out of this list. He’ll have little time to win over his doubters once the 2018 MLS season kicks off.” -Cesar
23. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
“Fabian’s soon return to football is getting Mexico and Frankfurt fans crunk for 2018.” -Bryan
24. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
“The Chivas winger was noted for his poor effectiveness in 1-vs-1 dribbling and his willingness to try the spectacular. Without point man Alan Pulido, Pizarro had few decoys or point men to work off to create and finish good goalscoring chances for the Guadalajarans.” -Steve
25. Jose de Jesus Corona
Club: Cruz Azul
Age: 36
Position: Goalkeeper
“If it’s not Ochoa, it’s Corona for the national team in the goal. Just like Ochoa, one has to hope he has a great season and continues with confidence leading up to Russia.” -Amy
Honorable mentions: Uriel Antuna, Jesus Gallardo, Orbelin Pineda, Victor Guzman, Jesus Dueñas, Hugo Ayala.
Comments
