So begins the exciting yet uneasy countdown to Qatar 2022 for the Mexico men’s national team, who aren’t in the best run of form with two wins in their last seven games. With criticism surrounding El Tri due to a rocky run through World Cup qualifying and sluggish performances this year, manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino and his squad took one step forward and two steps back this month in California-based World Cup warmup friendlies after narrowly defeating Peru 1-0 and collapsing against Colombia in a 3-2 defeat.
Injuries have complicated the matter, leaving Mexico with plenty of unknowns, as key attacking starters like Sevilla’s Jesus “Tecatito” Corona and Wolves’ Raul Jimenez will be racing to recover in time for their tournament kick-off on Nov. 22 against Poland. While Jimenez seems to have enough time to regain his fitness, Corona’s chances appear slim and he will be re-evaluated in early October by Mexico’s medical staff.
So, with time running out until the World Cup starts, who is in the running for the 26-man roster for Martino? For the sake of argument and for reviewing the full roster, we’ll consider players with short-term injuries for roster spots but leave out Corona due to the unlikelihood that he’ll be fit for Qatar.
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How we’re doing this
With Martino’s proclivity for a 4-3-3 formation, we’re splitting up the analysis through six position categories that will each have four tiers. The tiers are influenced by players’ form for club and country, their importance to the national team and a variety of other factors.
Tier 1: Projected starter. Roster locks and players who are clear starters in their positions.
Tier 2: World Cup contributor. Players expected to be on the roster and contribute on the field, either as a starter or substitute.
Tier 3: Roster bubble. In contention to be on the 26-man squad and provide roster depth.
Tier 4: Not this time. Players who have been around the team but likely won’t receive much of a look for inclusion.
