In general, most of the roster was fairly predictable and based off a preliminary 31-man list that was revealed earlier this month. Recognizable faces such as Guillermo Ochoa, Hector Moreno, Hector Herrera, Edson Alvarez, Hirving Lozano, Andres Guardado and several other regular call-ups populated the list made by manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
That said, in a similar manner that Qatar is scrambling to prepare for the World Cup festivities, the same could be said for a Mexico side that waited until the last minute to announce a final roster that will now face Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Injury problems and 11th-hour decisions on alternates meant Martino was still considering his final 26 while other nations had already announced their squads for the tournament. But with the list now in, let’s take a look at what we learned from Monday’s Mexico roster release:
– 2022 World Cup: All squad lists for Qatar
Goalkeepers (3)
Projected starter: Guillermo Ochoa (Club America)
On squad: Alfredo Talavera (FC Juarez), Rodolfo Cota (Leon)
Left off: Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna), Luis Malagon (Necaxa), David Ochoa (D.C. United), Jonathan Orozco (Club Tijuana)
No real surprises here. Ochoa, Talavera and Cota were the only goalkeepers added in the preliminary roster, meaning that all other options were essentially out of the running for Qatar.
As for who will start, there is no question that Martino will stick with Ochoa in net for every game possible. Barring an unexpected injury, expect the Club America player to once again be a key figure and game-changer after doing so for El Tri in the 2014 and 2018 editions of the tournament.
