Marquez joins Tri

Rafael Marquez arrived in Chicago to join up with the Mexican national team for the remainder of the Gold Cup. Marquez was on the Barcelona bench in Sunday's 5-1 season-ending win over Gimnastic.

There was a story on mediotiempo.com about his arrival and I translated some of the quotes over for you guys to check it out (for those who need the translation).

On his travel to Chicago:

"I'm tired because of the trip and sad because we weren't able to win the title last weekend but I just need to change my focus. I'm with the national team now and my thoughts are on Thursday's game."

What he expects out of the game on Thursday:

"I know it won't be anything simple. Mexico hasn't shown its best form yet and we have gone through some difficulties. We just need to improve."

Whether he plans on playing. His last game this season for Barcelona was in a Copa del Rey match on April 18. He's been ruled out because of a thigh injury since then but was on the bench for the last two games.

"I don't know. I'm going to talk with the coach to see what he is planning and it just depends on how I feel. I don't know if I'd be risking further injury by playing. I was there for Barcelona on the weekend so I think I should be able to play a few minutes."

Marquez said he talked to teammate Lilian Thuram about Guadeloupe's performance in the Gold Cup. Thuram was born in Guadeloupe.

"He told me his team had surprised him. It surprises me too but knowing players like Lilian, who is strong, quality and very talented, even though they are not professionals they put forth a lot of effort. It's a team that we need to be careful of because they are growing and have lots of confidence."