He went from playing for USMNT to stealing Carlos Vela’s place in Mexico National Team

One of the things that Mexico National Team needs to improve before the 2022 FIFA World Cup is their scoring streak, as the current strikers on the roster haven’t been able to score consistently, being Raúl Jiménez the top scorer with just three goals.

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Gerardo “Tata” Martino accepted that El Tri prioritized the results over the performances in the CONCACAF Qualifiers, as they needed to ensure their presence in Qatar 2022. But now that they got their ticket and know the teams they will face in the group stage, they need to solve the problems if they want to have a worthy participation.

That’s why the Argentine coach will use the friendly games that the Mexican national team will play from the end of April until August to find solutions, especially by trying new players that he often doesn’t consider to be part of the main roster.

It’s clear that Carlos Vela could be the answer to the Aztec squad needs, as so far, he’s having a great season with MLS side Los Angeles FC, where he’s scored four goals and has two assistances in seven games, but Martino’s stubbornness has left him out of the roster once again.

His replacement was formed in the USYNT

Instead of considering Carlos Vela for the friendly game that El Tri will play against Guatemala in Orlando, Florida, next week, Gerardo Martino opened the door for a few players that were part of the US Soccer academy teams in the past.

One of them is Alejandro Zendejas, who has both Mexican and American citizenships and even was captain of the U-15 and U-17 US squads before deciding to join Mexico Youth National Team, where he was part of the U-20 and U-23 teams.

The 24-year-old midfielder and left-winger has become an essential player for Club América since Fernando “Tano” Ortíz took over the team, as he’s scored four goals in the last five games that Las Águilas have played.

Why does Martino prefer him over Vela?

According to reports, Gerardo Martino only considered young players for the friendly game against Guatemala, as he knows he needs to start having a generational change in the roster, not only for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but also thinking ahead, as El Tri could arrive to the 2026 World Cup with a young but experienced roster.

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