The Mexico national team is back in action with a couple of very interesting friendly matches against Colombia and Ecuador, two very solid South American sides.
Javier Aguirre’s 25-player roster for the October international action was severely compromised by injuries. Two, in particular, are significant, with team captain Edson Álvarez and leading goalscorer of the Aguirre era, Raúl Jiménez, staying in Europe to recover from their respective injuries.
As a result, a number of players will get valuable opportunities to make their case for a spot in El Tri’s 2026 World Cup roster. Following two draws against Japan and South Korea last month, Mexico will aim to get positive results to build momentum nine months away from a home World Cup.
The absence of familiar faces opens the door for fringe players to make a name for themselves and here’s five players in particular you should be keeping a close eye on in Mexico’s upcoming games.
Santiago Gimenez
Santiago Gimenez has started all six of AC Milan’s Serie A games this season, yet he’s failed to register a single goal involvement. After a tremendous start to his career in Italy, bagging four goal involvements his first five matches with Milan, Gimenez has managed just six more since the end of February.
Nevertheless, with Jiménez out injured, El Bebote will likely take his place as Mexico’s starting striker against Colombia and Ecuador.
Gimenez ended a near two-year scoring drought with El Tri in a friendly match on the eve of the 2025 Gold Cup. Once the tournament started, though, he didn’t score a single goal and was barely involved in Mexico’s summer triumph.
Last time out, however, Gimenez scored a sensational goal to save El Tri from defeat against South Korea. Aguirre and co. will hope that goal helps Gimenez break out of his funk with the national team.
In desperate need of a confidence boost, Gimenez will aim to be among the goals in El Tri’s October games, hoping he can then translate that form to the club level to catapult his form heading into the World Cup.
Kevin Álvarez
Rodrigo Huescas’s recent form had many already considering him as Mexico’s starting right back next summer. Then, the FC Copenhagen player suffered a season-ending knee injury, essentially ending his World Cup dreams.
In comes Kevin Álvarez as Aguirre’s immediate response to the Huescas news. After a two-year absence from El Tri, Álvarez is back aiming to make the most of his opportunity to earn his way to a second World Cup appearance.
The Club América defender has left behind injury problems that haunted him ever since he joined the club in 2023 and has now become an undisputed starter in one of the best teams in Liga MX.
Álvarez has undeniable quality and if he puts it all together, there’s a strong chance he can carve himself a role next summer at one of the positions that has given Aguirre the most headaches.
Diego Lainez
It’s crazy to think that it’s been almost a decade since Diego Lainez emerged as one of the most highly-touted young prospects in Mexican soccer since Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos.
Then came a dreadful stint in Europe with Real Betis and Portugal’s Braga that saw his stock plummet, resulting in a return to Liga MX in Jan. 2023 as a 22-year-old. His first few seasons with Tigres weren’t much better and Lainez appeared destined to become the latest wasted talent in Mexican soccer.
Things have change for the better in 2025. Since the turn of the year, Lainez has been deployed almost exclusively as a right winger and he’s thrived. The electricity, skill and fearless style that defined him as a teenager are all back.
With Roberto Alvarado also out injured, Lainez could merit even more minutes for El Tri. Mexico has become a team that rarely creates any danger down the wings. At his best, Lainez has the talent to change that.
Carlos Rodríguez
Few El Tri players have been the target of so much criticism from fans in recent years than Carlos Rodríguez, yet, he’s featured in all but one of Aguirre’s rosters since he returned as manager.
No team in Liga MX has tallied more points than Cruz Azul since the start of 2024 and Rodríguez is a big part of that. But whenever the midfielder has put on El Tri’s shirt, he’s been a shadow of his club self for the most part.
Especially in Aguirre’s gritty, defense-first system, Rodríguez’s best traits are wasted. He’s a player than needs to constantly have the ball to dictate games from midfield, something Mexico has rarely done over the past year.
With Gilberto Mora and Obed Vargas currently shining for Mexico in the U-20 World Cup, Rodríguez must take advantage of this camp to truly make his presence felt in El Tri, or he risks falling behind other players in the race for a World Cup roster spot.
Ramón Juárez
Over the past year, Ramón Juárez has gone from a relative unknown to a serious contender for a World Cup spot.
The 24-year-old center back was thrown into the fire by Club América manager André Jardine three seasons ago following key injuries and Juárez responded. He was pivotal in América’s journey to conquer two of their three consecutive Liga MX titles.
Eventually other center backs returned from injury, but after starting the Apertura 2025 season as a backup, he’s recaptured a starting spot and has played every minute of América’s last four games.
Juárez is arguably the best defender in the air that Aguirre has at his disposal—highlighted by him beating Sergio Ramos in the air to score his first goal of the season.
After earning his second ever call-up to El Tri, he’ll try to make the best of his opportunity to raise his status as a valuable alternative at one of Mexico’s most solid positions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Mexico Players to Watch vs. Colombia, Ecuador in October.
