Friday, October 5, 2007

Mexico squad

El Tri will release its roster for the Nigeria and Guatemala matches later today. Mexico-Nigeria will be played in Ciudad Juarez on Oct. 14 while Mexico-Guatemala will be played in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. I'm anxious to see if Chivas USA's Francisco Mendoza will be on it.

Honestly, I don't think he's Mexican national team material. Like I was telling a colleague recently, a player would have to be worthy of a spot on the league's all-first or all-second team, and I wouldn't put Mendoza on either.

He's a fine player but I don't think he's Tri material, at least not know. However, if Hugo Sanchez is trying to look at players who will make up the Olympic team or help out in qualifying for the Olympics.

Personally, I'd be thrilled for Panchito if it happened. I've followed his career from the start. I think the first time I talked to him was in February of 2005. He is the last man standing from the original eight Mexicans Chivas USA brought up before their first season. Interestingly enough, another player from that group earned his first cap for Mexico in that time as Luis Alonso Sandoval earned his first cap in December 2005. Sandoval bailed on Chivas USA, though, and was banished to Jaguares.

ADD:

Ovaciones took a stab at the roster and they don't have Mendoza on it. However, Claudio Suarez said recently that Mendoza is virtually unknown in Mexico so that doesn't surprise me.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The official list is out... no Mendoza. With Guardado and Castillo ahead of him, he'll never make the list

L.B. said...

No he doesn't have much of a future but I wouldn't rule out some sort of role on the Olympic qualifying team.