Diego Cocca says that Henry Martín will be a leader under his tenure

The Mexican national team is ready to start from scratch under head coach Diego Cocca at the start of the new World Cup cycle. El Tri will return to action on Thursday 23 March to play on the road against Suriname for the start of the CONCACAF Nations League and three days later they will host Jamaica at Estadio Azteca.

Cocca called up 34 players for the upcoming fixtures and they reported to camp on Monday in Mexico City for the first time under his tenure. One of the players that arrived first to training was Henry Martín, who has become one of the top scorers in Liga MX in the last few tournaments with Club América.

Martín a new leader for El Tri

The 30-year-old striker has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 12 appearances for the Eagles during the Clausura 2023 so far. Most recently Henry Martín found the back of the net in the 4-2 win over Chivas at Akron stadium over the weekend to give América the three points in El Clásico Nacional, although the main talking point surrounding his performance was his controversial celebration after scoring.

“I was recently talking with Henry because we met in Tijuana. He is a leader on the pitch and one that we need in our group of players,” said Diego Cocca. “I have spoken to the majority of them and they all want a change, to compete and to take the national team to the next level. I don’t know all the players.

“I’ve just met Raúl [Jiménez], Memo [Ochoa] and each one of them is different. I can’t talk about a lineup because I am waiting for them to arrive and check on their fitness,” explained the manager of the Mexico national team. “Logically, the players that are in peak form and playing constantly are the most motivated ones. Now we have to communicate my ideology to them and start the new process.”