Mexico vs. Iceland | International Friendly Match Preview
Mexico revealed their 23 man roster for the Iceland friendly that is scheduled next week at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The roster is stacked with players from the North America region (omitting European talent) which will allow Juan Carlos Osorio to test the home based talent.
If Juan plays his cards right, this match can be utilized as preparation for multiple reasons:
- The resumption of the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Tricolor (1W-1D-0L, 4 points) currently sits second in the six-team table, two points behind Costa Rica (2–0–0. 6).
- Staffing the Gold Cup tournament.
- The benefit of participating in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
On FIFA paper both are ranked within 4 points of each other, with Mexico at 17th and Iceland at 21st. However, I believe Iceland will come to the match with an advantage as they play with the mindset of being an underdog. Their success in last years European Championship showed the world that a small nation of a population of 350,000 is capable of producing top talent.
Below is the roster for Mexico:
GOALKEEPERS: Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Hugo Gonzalez (Monterrey), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
DEFENDERS: Oswaldo Alanis (Guadalajara), Nestor Araujo (Santos), Hugo Ayala (Tigres), Jesus Gallardo (Pumas), Raul Lopez (Pachuca), Rafael Marquez (Atlas), Luis Reyes (Atlas), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres)
MIDFIELDERS: Edson Alvarez (Club America), Jurgen Damm (Tigres), Jesus Dueñas (Tigres), Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca), Jesus Molina (Monterrey), Orbelín Pineda (Guadalajara)
FORWARDS: Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy/USA), Elias Hernandez (Leon), Hirving Lozano (Pachuca), Luis Montes (Leon), Alan Pulido (Guadalajara), Angel Zaldivar (Guadalajara)
