SOCCER
Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre calls up veteran stars for October fixtures
El Tri take on Valencia and USMNT in the October international break and have recalled two players with more than 100 caps for the national team.
Mexico continue preparations for the 2026 World Cup with two friendlies later this month but head coach Javier Aguirre is looking to the past with his squad selections.
Aguirre has opted to hand a recall to veterans Guillermo Ochoa (39 years old) and Raúl Jiménez (33). Both players were excluded from the squad that beat New Zealand and drew with Canada last month, leading many to assume that they were out of the international picture.
However in announcing the team, Aguirre insisted that he would continue to offer chances to players who perform: “It’s difficult to please everyone with the list. I believe that, being Mexicans and footballers with careers abroad, they are a source of pride. No one has closed doors on them.”
Other high-profile figures in the squad include West Ham United’s Edson Álvarez, Lokomotiv Moscow’s César Montes and AEK Athens’ Orbelín Pineda. However Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano (PSV Eindhoven) and Santiago Giménez (Feyenoord) are both absent as they continue their returns from injury.
Why are Mexico playing a friendly against Valencia?
The two October fixtures on the schedule for the Mexican national team see them take on Valencia and the United States, with both games to be played in Mexico. The visit of Valencia is a strange one, considering that national teams very rarely play against club sides.
In this instance it is a combination of a lack of other options and the desire to pay tribute to an El Tri legend. Most nations will be tied up with World Cup qualifiers or Nations League fixtures. Mexico are not involved in either of those at this stage.
This made a club team one of few viable options and the meeting with Valencia allows Mexican soccer to pay tribute to Andrés Guardado, who will make his farewell appearance for the national team against his former club. Guardado, now 38, made his first appearance for Mexico back in 2005.
The trip to Mexico also presents an opportunity for Valencia to expand into new markets. The LaLiga club’s website describes it as a chance “to get closer to fans on the other side of the Atlantic. Mexico is a territory that is part of the club’s international expansion project.”