Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio included Malaga goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in his 25-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Honduras.
Osorio revealed his first selection as Mexico boss on Thursday and used the opportunity to summon Malaga goalkeeper Ochoa back into the picture after his recent absence.
Ochoa did not feature under interim manager Ricardo Ferretti as the Tigres UANL boss preferred Moises Munoz and Alfredo Talavera. Osorio opted to overlook Ochoa’s recent lack of match practice to bring the 30-year-old former number one back into the fold.
The decision to recall Ochoa reinforced Osorio’s faith in the established core group and underscored the need of consistency at the start of a new reign.
Key figures like Andrés Guardado, Javier Hernández and Carlos Vela all took their usual spots on the roster, though Rafael Marquez dropped out of the plans after sustaining an injury in Hellas Verona’s 0-0 draw with Carpi on Sunday.
LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos also missed out a place in the squad after a poor conclusion to his MLS season, though Osorio found room for Pumas UNAM duo Alejandro Castro and Luis Fuentes in his initial selection.
The entire squad is expected to gather in Mexico City on Sunday to start its preparations for World Cup qualifying. Mexico hosts El Salvador at Estadio Azteca on Nov. 13 before traveling to San Pedro Sula to face Honduras four days later.
Mexico's Roster
Goalkeepers: Moisés Muñoz (Club América), Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga) and Alfredo Talavera (Toluca).
Defenders: Paul Aguilar (Club América), Oswaldo Alanis (Guadalajara), Hugo Ayala (Tigres UANL), Luis Fuentes (Pumas UNAM), Miguel Layún (FC Porto), Héctor Moreno (PSV Eindhoven), Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad) and Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres UANL).
Midfielders: Javier Aquino (Tigres UANL), Alejandro Castro (Pumas UNAM), Jesús Corona (FC Porto), Jurgen Damm (Tigres UANL), Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal), Carlos Esquivel (Toluca), Andrés Guardado (PSV Eindhoven), Héctor Herrera (FC Porto), Carlos Peña (Club León) and José Juan Vázquez (Club León).
Forwards: Javier Hernández (Bayer Leverkusen), Raúl Jiménez (Benfica), Oribe Peralta (Club América) and Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad).
