Pineda, Duenas lead inexperienced Mexico Gold Cup squad

Jon Arnold

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Pineda, Duenas lead inexperienced Mexico Gold Cup squad image

An inexperienced side will look to defend Mexico's Gold Cup crown, with Juan Carlos Osorio naming a 25-man squad Sunday.

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With the top players from El Tri fighting for the Confederations Cup in June, many players named to the team will be looking to win their first Mexico caps. Goalkeeper Miguel Fraga, defender Carlos Vargas, midfielders Javier Salas, Jesus Isijara and Walter Sandoval, and forward Martin Barragan will seek their first caps, while Luis Rodriguez, Jair Pereira and Angel Sepulveda will each hope to build on one existing appearance.

There is some experience in the team, with Chivas midfielder Orbelin Pineda (listed as a forward on the official roster) and Tigres midfielder Jesus Duenas on the team after narrowly missing out on an invitation to the Confederations Cup. And Fraga will have plenty of experience to lean on with fellow goalkeepers Moises Munoz and Jesus Corona having more than 50 caps between them.

Mexico's Gold Cup begins July 9 against El Salvador and continues with group matches against Jamaica and Curacao before the knockout stage begins.

Osorio will have to trim his squad to 23 players for the group stage, though Gold Cup rules allow him to replace up to four players for the knockout round.

Here is the full roster:

Goalkeepers: Moises Munoz (Puebla), Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Miguel Fraga (Atlas)

Defenders: Raul Lopez (Pachuca), Luis Rodriguez (Tigres), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres), Jesus Molina (Monterrey), Carlos Vargas (America), Hedgardo Marin (Chivas), Hugo Ayala (Tigres), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Jair Pereira (Chivas)

Midfielders: Jesus Gallardo (Pumas), Jorge Hernandez (Pachuca), Jesus Duenas (Tigres), Rodolfo Pizarro (Chivas), Javier Salas (Atlas), Jesus Isijara (Necaxa), Walter Sandoval (Santos)

Forwards: Orbelin Pineda (Chivas), Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca), Elias Hernandez (Leon), Martin Barragan (Necaxa), Alan Pulido (Chivas), Angel Sepulveda (Morelia)

Jon Arnold

Jon Arnold Photo

Jon Arnold covered the Mexico national team and Concacaf region in English for Goal until March 2020. His byline also has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times Goal blog, FloFC and Pacific Standard. In addition to his written work, he serves as the Concacaf expert on the BBC's World Football Phone-In and has appeared on SiriusXMFC in English and Fox Deportes and Milenio in Spanish. Formerly based in Tijuana and currently living in Texas, Jon covered the 2018 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, the 2016 Copa America Centenario and the last five Gold Cups.