Today Gerardo “Tata” Martino announced his list of 31 players that he’ll be taking to Mexico’s upcoming friendly games against Peru, and Columbia. This call up was widely regarded as the last precursor to the definitive roster that Mexico will be featuring in the World Cup. As is the case with most of these lists there were definitely some surprise snubs. Although the bulk of the list does feature the names that were more or less expected. Let’s look into the high profile snubs on the list!
Trying To Explain The Carlos Acevedo Snub
One of the biggest surprises on the list is the fact that Rodolfo Cota is the third choice goalkeeper over Carlos Acevedo. It’s awkward because Acevedo got the call up to the last friendly and played the whole game. The explanation is rather simple, Martino just doesn’t have confidence in the Santos Laguna goalkeeper. He literally couldn’t catch a ball off a bounce in the middle of the box in the last game. He doesn’t have great hands, at all. The thing is, anything bad that can be said about Acevedo essentially applies to Guillermo Ochoa. They have almost identical games, with the same virtues, and weaknesses.
The other thing that makes things weird is the fact that Cota looks completely out of shape. He’s had his fair share of errors with Leon as of late, while Acevedo has actually cleaned his act up this season compared to other tournaments. Cota is not only passed his prime he looks like your uncle who plays in goal for the over 40s in Sunday league action. We’ll make a fuss about it, sure, but when it’s all set and done 3rd choice goalkeeper usually doesn’t impact the team anyway.
Why Marcelo Flores Didn’t Get A Call-Up
With “Tecatito” Corona going down it seemed that Marcelo Flores’ chances of making the World Cup roster increased. For Tata Martino, Lainez is still ahead of Marcelo in the race to be the short wing player on the squad. With the likes of Antuna, Alexis Vega, Alvarado, and others making the squad it could be argued that the position was full. Also many of the players that play the same role that Marcelo Flores does on the pitch can also play in other positions. In that sense Marcelo because of his size, and inexperience is a bit one dimensional in a sense.
The other reason why he probably didn’t get the call up is the scandal involving his sister and the women’s underage team. Their dad was also running his mouth a bit too much. Let’s be clear on this if there’s one thing the heads at the Mexican Federation don’t like: it’s a vocal adversary that stirs up controversy. That’s one of the reasons why Chicharito is not on the roster, and it’s potentially why this next player got snubbed as well.
Should Zendejas Look To Return To The USMNT?
There have been some signs that USMNT would be interested in bringing Zendejas back into the fold. The problem for the America player is that there’s a lot of competition at his position in both national teams. His play at Club America has made a lot of noise, but he hasn’t been a top player for an extended period of time to demand a call-up like he’s seemingly doing. Martino didn’t seem to like the way that the Zendejas situation has played out, and it’s looking like he’ll remain on the manager’s blacklist. Let’s put it this way, Zendejas isn’t as good of a player to be able to make demands. Even if the pro Club America traditional media in Mexico wants to paint another picture. If he was that good the USMNT would’ve already made the call to him! He’s going to get stuck in the middle, and have to watch the Qatar World Cup from home.
