Mexico names roster for USMNT friendly

Mexico has named their roster for the April 15 friendly against the United States in San Antonio. The match doesn't fall on a FIFA international date so clubs do not have to release players for the match. That means both Mexico and the U.S. have to rely on Liga MX and MLS players. In Mexico's case, it is all Liga MX.

Despite being an entirely Liga MX side, Mexico has tabbed two players with strong MLS ties. Cubo Torres, who played for Chivas USA last year and will join the Houston Dynamo in the summer, is in the squad for El Tri. He hasn't started a single match for Chivas Guadalajara this season, but has played well in limited appearances, scoring five goals. Carlos Salcedo, who joined Chivas from Real Salt Lake in the winter, is also in the Mexico team.

Miguel Herrera pulled a bit of a surprise in goal, where he called in Cirilo Saucedo and Jonathan Orozco, leaving Jesus Corona and Alfredo Talavera at home.

The notable inclusions come up top and in the midfield, where Oribe Peralta and Luis Montes are in the squad. Peralta wasn't called in last month, raising some questions about his place in the team, but he's back, and Montes will be playing his first match for El Tri since a horrific leg break in the run up to the World Cup last year.

Mexico is playing in Copa America this summer, as well as in the Gold Cup, so they will need a deep player pool to handle both competitions. Miguel Herrera has indicated he will use most of his World Cup holdovers in the Gold Cup, which means that much of the Copa America squad will come from Liga MX. While this friendly against the U.S. doesn't have any real stakes, combine Mexico players fighting for a Copa America spot with the rivalry between the two countries and there should be plenty of motivation on El Tri's side.

Roster

Goalkeepers: Cirilo Saucedo (Tijuana), Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey)

Defenders: Francisco "Maza" Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Julio "Cata" Dominguez (Cruz Azul), Oswaldo Alanis (Santos), Adrian Aldrete (Santos), George Corral (Queretaro), Gerardo Flores (Cruz Azul), Hiram Mier (Monterrey), Efrain Velarde (Monterrey), Carlos Salcedo (Chivas)

Midfielders: Luis "Chapo" Montes (Leon), Antonio Rios (Toluca), Jurgen Damm (Pachuca), Mario Osuna (Queretaro), Luis Rodriguez (Chiapas)

Forwards: Oribe Peralta (Club America), Erick "Cubo" Torres (Chivas), Eduardo "Lalo" Herrera (Pumas)