Mexican stars Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez have been left out of manager Javier Aguirre's national team squad for upcoming friendlies against Colombia (Oct. 11) and Ecuador (Oct. 14) following recent injury issues.
Jiménez suffered a hip injury after scoring Fulham's lone goal in Sunday's 3-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa, and was then unavailable for Friday's match against Bournemouth.
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Mexico captain Álvarez, meanwhile, only returned to the pitch for Fenerbache during Thursday's 2-1 Europa League win over Nice, marking the first time the midfielder has gained minutes for club or country since a hamstring injury on Sep. 6.
Another notable absentee is defender Rodrigo Huescas. Ahead of Friday's roster reveal, FC Copenhagen announced that the Mexican up-and-comer had been sidelined for the rest of the season after a long-term injury to his right knee, placing him in doubt for next summer's World Cup.
Looking at the 25 players who did make it onto the October roster for Aguirre, El Tri will still be able to rely on noteworthy names such as AC Milan's Santiago Gimenez, Lokomotiv Moscow's César Montes, Toluca's Alexis Vega, San Diego FC's Hirving Lozano and Genoa captain Johan Vásquez.
After October, Mexico will continue preparations for the 2026 World Cup with another set of friendlies next month against Uruguay (Nov. 15) and Paraguay (Nov. 18).
Mexico's 25-man October roster:
Goalkeepers: Luis Ángel Malagón (Club América), Raúl Rangel (Chivas), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna)
Defenders: Mateo Chávez (AZ Alkmaar), Ramón Juarez (Club América), Israel Reyes (Club América), Kevin Álvarez (Club América), Jorge Sánchez (Cruz Azul), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca)
Midfielders: Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens), Alexis Gutierrez (Club América), Érick Sánchez (Club America), Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul), Luis Romo (Chivas), Diego Lainez (Tigres), Marcel Ruiz (Toluca)
Forwards: Santiago Gimenez (AC Milan), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah), German Berterame (Monterrey), César Huerta (Anderlecht), Hirving Lozano (San Diego FC) Alexis Vega (Toluca)