How many Liga MX players are on the Mexico roster for the 2023 Gold Cup?

It’s been a turbulent few months for Mexico’s national team to put it mildly. First there was the premature exit from the World Cup in Qatar which prompted Gerard Martino’s departure, then things went from bad to worse. El Tri suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat bitter rivals the United States in the Concacaf Nations League and despite beating Panama to take third place, the Mexican Soccer Federation were not convinced enough to keep coach Diego Cocca on for the 2023 Gold Cup and sacked the Argentinean a week before the tournament began.

Some players were unhappy with the logistics of their Nations League Finals appearance, while others were threatening to boycott the Gold Cup because of a perceived lack of game time. Sub-par performances on the field, meanwhile, led to another boycott ahead of the match against Panama, this time from those in the stands.

Jimmy Jimmy

With little or no prospect of a permanent coach being found in time, Mexico headed into Concacaf’s second summer tournament with interim coach Jaime Lozano at the helm. Lozano’s credentials within the Federation (he had coached the Under-23s, knows the set-up and his team tasted success at the Tokyo Olympics) made him the best candidate to take over. However, the belief is that Lozano can only remain in the post if his team wins and the tournament and plays well - which is a big ask given recent performances. In El Tri’s favour this time though, is the fact that the USMNT have sent a weaker roster to the tournament.

El Tri’s attacking absentees

Mexico named the same roster for the Concacaf Nations League and the Gold Cup, selecting the strongest possible group of players. That said, there are still some notable absentees, particularly in attack.

Both Hirving Lozano and ‘Tecatitio’ Corona would almost certainly have been included but are not fully fit and were left out, while Chivas’ Alexis Vega would be a possible stand-in for either but was forced to pull out because of a muscular injury and hasn’t been replaced.

Wolves frontman Raúl Jiménez is perhaps the other big-name absentee, but he has really struggled to recapture his best form since suffering a fractured skull in November 2020 and is no longer as key as he once was.

Lozano’s Mexico got their 2023 Gold Cup campaign off to the best possible start - Luis Romo (2), Orbelín Pineda and Luis Chávez found the net in the 4-0 win over Honduras to put the team top of Group B ahead of Thursday’s clash with Haiti.

Attacking side

Mexico have taken four goalkeepers, 12 defenders, nine midfielders and eight forwards to the tournament and Lozano fielded an attacking 4-3-3 line-up in the first group game.

How many Liga MX players have made the trip?

In total, 23 of the 33 squad members ply their trade in the Liga MX, five of whom featured in the Clausura 2023 final between Guadalajara and Tigres. América are the most represented club with four players, ahead of Monterrey, Chivas, Pachuca and Santos Laguna, who have three. Two players from Tigres, Cruz Azul and Dutch side Ajax also made the roster.