Mexico coach Tata Martino has ruled out the possibility of a World Cup recall for veteran striker Javier Hernandez.
Hernandez, who has scored 52 goals in his 109 caps for El Tri, has not featured for his country since 2019.
However, 15 goals in 29 MLS games for the LA Galaxy this season had prompted discussion of a return to the Mexico squad prior to Martino's latest comments.
Ahead of his side's friendly with Peru, Martino explained: "We are simply going with other forwards.
"We will try to choose the 26 players who are closest to our game."
Hernandez, 34, finds himself down the pecking order for El Tri, with Raul Jimenez, Rogelio Funes Mori, Henry Martin and Santiago Gimenez all preferred up front.
Speaking in greater depth about his attacking options, coach Martino stated three of these four would make up his striking options in Qatar.
And with Jimenez and Funes Mori injured and not expected to feature against Peru, the chance on Sunday will fall to Martin and Gimenez to stake their claim.
"We have two [forwards] who can play and two who can't," Martino stated. "Four forwards are not going to go [to Qatar], but as long as they make it difficult for me to choose, I'm very happy about that.
"Surely there will be talk of who is left out, but the problem will be abundance and not scarcity."
Mexico start their tough World Cup campaign on November 22 against Poland, with games against Argentina and Saudi Arabia to follow.
Jesus Manuel Corona saw his World Cup ambitions crushed on Thursday as the Sevilla winger suffered leg and ankle injuries that should keep him sidelined until early next year.
The Mexico international was expected to play a key figure for his country at Qatar 2022, but that plan can seemingly now be shelved as he faces up to five months on the sidelines.
Corona, often known by his nickname 'Tecatito', broke his left fibula and ruptured ankle ligaments in training with Sevilla.
The club said in a statement that the injury occurred without any contact from a team-mate, adding that Corona was rushed to hospital for tests that revealed the devastating extent of his injuries.
"Tecatito will be operated on this afternoon for the injury by Dr Najarro at the FREMAP hospital," Sevilla stated. "Initially, this type of injury requires a recovery of between four and five months."
With the World Cup taking place in November and December, it appears inevitable that Corona will play no part.
Mexico will face Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland in Group C at Qatar 2022.
The Mexican Football Federation sent best wishes via the national team's Twitter account, wishing Corona "a lot of strength" and adding: "We know that you will give everything to come back and you will do it in the best way."
Corona only joined Sevilla in January, moving to Spain after a successful six-and-a-half-year spell in Portugal with Porto.
Wolves have been dealt a blow ahead of the upcoming Premier League season after star striker Raul Jimenez was ruled out for "a number of weeks" with knee and adductor injuries.
Jimenez, who returned to first-team football 12 months ago after a fractured skull saw him sit out the majority of the 2020-21 campaign, is reportedly likely to miss at least a month of action after limping out of a 3-0 friendly win over Besiktas.
"Raul came off in the game against Besiktas after he stretched for the ball and felt something in his knee and his groin," an update on the club's official website revealed.
"Scans reveal that he has suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his knee and a minor strain of his adductor. Neither injury is very serious but he is expected to be out for a number of weeks."
The 31-year-old's setback is a blow ahead of a season that will also see him feature in the World Cup in Qatar, where Mexico will face Poland, Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Jimenez, a key man in Mexico's attack, has 30 goals in 97 appearances for El Tri, a tally bettered only by six players in their history – led by ex-Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez with 52.
The injury represents a blow for Wolves, who are now set to begin the season without a recognised centre forward after loaning youngster Fabio Silva to Anderlecht.
Jimenez has scored 40 Premier League goals since moving to Molineux in 2018, over twice as many as Wolves' next most prolific player in that time - Diogo Jota with 16.
Kalyssa Van Zanten's goal in extra-time strike earned Jamaica's Reggae Girlz a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica to secure third place in the CONCACAF Women’s Championships in Mexico on Monday night.
Fans can expect a “strong, fast, fierce and fit competition” according to Rugby Americas North Communication Manager Bryan Kelly as the July 14-17 tournament prepares to get underway at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston.
Kelly, in an interview with Sportsmax.TV, described the event as a development tournament.
“This is the first Rugby Americas tournament since 2019 so this event that we’re throwing this week is a development competition. In Rugby there’s two different versions of the sport. There’s Rugby 7s which they play in the Olympics and Rugby 15s which is a much longer game and the one we’ll be playing this week in Jamaica,” he said.
“We have our men’s U-19 tournament and this is the first taste of international competition that a lot of these players will have and, for the women, it’s their first time playing since 2019 and, as I said, this is 15s Rugby but because our region is still growing and we’re trying to get the Rugby ball into as many female hands as possible, they’re playing 12s which is three less players,” Kelly added.
Even with this fact, Kelly says teams will still play as hard as possible.
“Yes, this is a development tournament and yes, this is a lot of these athletes first time getting on the field in a couple of years but you will not see teams playing casually. It’s going to be a strong, fast, fit and fierce competition for all four days this week,” Kelly said.
The men’s U-19 tournament will be contested by hosts Jamaica, Mexico, USA South, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda and Cayman Islands while the Women’s seniors will have Jamaica, USA South, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Cayman Islands.
Matches will be streamed live on the Sportsmax.TV YouTube Channel beginning on Thursday at 9:00am Jamaica Time (10:00am EST).
Reggae Girlz striker and captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw says leading her country to a second straight World Cup “means a lot.”
The Manchester City striker was in fine form in Monday’s game, scoring a brace to help her side to a dominant 4-0 victory over the Haitians to secure a second consecutive World Cup berth.
“It means a lot, especially because throughout the beginning of the campaign we came under a lot of pressure. We just stood together and held our composure,” said Shaw.
“We knew that once we did that, at the end of the day we were going to be victorious and, I think, it just goes to show that we’re a small island, but we can do big things,” Shaw added.
Despite already booking their spot in Australia and New Zealand next year, their CONCACAF Women’s Championship campaign is not over with a semi-final against Canada on Thursday at 9:00pm Jamaica time (10:00pm EST). Defending world champions the USA will tackle Costa Rica in the other semi-final.
Shaw outlined how the team can overcome the challenge of the unbeaten Canadians.
“We need to remain confident and stay positive. We also have to continue to support each other and communicate. If we continue to stick together and stay confident, I’m sure we can do big things,” Shaw said.
Jamaica punched their ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand in commanding fashion with a 4-0 win over Haiti in their final match of Group A of the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship on Monday night at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
The result means Jamaica have qualified for a second straight Women’s World Cup, making it the second time in history that a Caribbean team have qualified for a Women’s World Cup.
Haiti have finished in third place and will advance to next February’s 10-team 2023 Women’s World Cup Playoff in New Zealand.
The blistering pace at the start made for a back-and-forth affair and Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay almost scored the opener with a dazzling solo run from her own half that ended with her shot ringing off the post.
An opening goal was bound to come and Jamaica were the ones to break the deadlock as some nice work from Khadija Shaw set up Trudi Carter, whose right-footed shot beat Haiti GK Nahomie Ambroise to make it 1-0 to the Reggae Girlz in the 26th minute.
Haiti went right to work to try to find an equalizer and Roselord Borgella had it all there to get it in the 52' off a Jamaica turnover, but instead swung her shot wide of the post.
Haiti continued to push forward in search of a goal, but it left space behind for the Jamaican attack and Shaw was happy to take advantage of it by firing in a right-footed shot to double the Jamaica lead to 2-0 in the 58'.
Nevertheless, Haiti kept pushing and almost pulled a goal back in the 63’ through a blazing effort from Dumornay in the 63’, only to see Jamaica GK Rebecca Spencer parry the ball onto the post and eventually out of play.
However, the night belonged to Shaw and Jamaica and after a Haiti handball in the area, the Manchester City striker stepped up and fired in her third goal of the CWC from the penalty spot for a 3-0 lead in the 70'.
They then capped off their magical night in the 79' with a well-placed header from Drew Spence off a free-kick to complete the winning 4-0 scoreline, earning their first-ever CWC win against Haiti in three attempts.
Racing Louisville defender Satara Murray will be in the line-up for the Reggae Girlz in their crucial Concacaf Women’s Championship final round fixture against Haiti after being cleared to represent the Caribbean side on Monday by FIFA.
Haiti and Jamaica are currently second and third in Group A and Monday’s match, scheduled to begin at 9:00 pm Jamaica time (10:00 pm EST) at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer will determine who joins the USA as automatic qualifiers to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The 29-year-old Murray, who can play as either a right-back or a centre-back, is expected to replace Denisha Blackwood in the Reggae Girlz line-up who is out due to suspension because of an accumulation of yellow cards.
“I’m relieved, happy and blessed to be involved with the game today and I’m thankful and excited to see what we can do. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” said Murray in a pre-match interview.
“I’m excited to be out there with the girls tonight and get the job done. That’s why I came here. I came to this camp to help us qualify for a World Cup and that’s what I want to do. I want to be a part of that,” said the former Liverpool defender.
“Leadership and my physical presence,” were her responses when asked what she hopes to bring to the team.
“I’m hoping those can help us win tonight because Haiti is a physical team and that’s one of my best attributes,” she added.
Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson says his team simply wasn’t good enough in their 0-5 hammering by defending World Champions the USA in the Concacaf Women’s Championship on Thursday.
The Americans sprinted out to a 2-0 lead through goals from Sophia Smith in the fifth and eighth minutes before adding three more goals in the second half through Rose Lavelle (59th), Kristie Mewis (83rd) and Trinity Rodman (86th) to complete the 5-0 demolition at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer.
“I didn’t think it’d take 10 minutes. We gave up two goals in six minutes and you’re not going to play the World Champs and expect anything out of the game playing the way we did. We weren’t good,” Donaldson said in a post-match press conference.
“The Americans are the best team in the world. When you play the champions at the top of their game, bad things will happen if you don’t play well and we didn’t,” Donaldson added.
The Reggae Girlz are now third in Group A with three points after two games with their third and final preliminary encounter coming against Haiti on Monday.
The Haitians also have three points and will go into that game with supreme confidence after a convincing 3-0 win over Mexico on Thursday.
The winner of Monday’s match will join the USA as automatic qualifiers to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the loser will most likely have to book their spot through an inter-continental playoff.
“I think we’re going to be fine and ready,” Donaldson said.
Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson says his team is ready to go ahead of their Concacaf Women’s Championship final round opener against Mexico on Monday.
Jamaica and Mexico are in Group A of the final round along with Haiti and the United States while Group B contains Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.
The four semi-finalists after the group stage will advance to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I think, if we have everybody healthy and ready to go, we will give a good account of ourselves. The girls will come out and be ready to play. The first few minutes may be a little rusty because they haven’t played a game in a while but, when the game settles down, I think we can put some good stuff together,” Donaldson said in a pre-match interview on Sunday.
The match will be played at the University Stadium in Nueva Leon, home of the Liga MX club Tigres UANL, with kick-off scheduled for 9:00pm Jamaica time (10:00pm EST).
The Jamaicans, who spent the last two weeks in training camp in Denver, Colorado, know what to expect in enemy territory according to their head coach.
“Obviously, we play Mexico who’s the home team. They’ll have a lot of fans in the stadium and we know what to expect. Hopefully the preparation we’ve had can nullify some of their strengths,” said Donaldson.
“It’s going to be a difficult game but hopefully we can grind and battle through it so the result can fall in our favor,” he added.
Both teams come into this game on the back of some good form as the Reggae Girlz have scored 24 goals and conceded just two in their last four games while Mexico have scored 25 and conceded just one.
Rafael Marquez is set to return to Barcelona as head coach of the Blaugrana's B team, club president Joan Laporta has confirmed.
The former defender, widely considered one of Mexico's greatest ever players, won La Liga four times and lifted the Champions League trophy twice with Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.
He also won 147 caps for his country and appeared at five consecutive World Cups between 2002 and 2018, making his final professional appearance in El Tri's round-of-16 loss to Brazil in Russia four years ago.
The 43-year-old is now set to follow in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique by coaching Barcelona B, who play in the third tier of the Spanish league system.
Speaking at an event in S'Agaro, Laporta said: "Rafa in principle had [agreed] to be the coach of Barca Atletic last year, [but] he had a situation that prevented him from doing so.
"Now this has already been resolved and Rafa will be the coach of Barca Atletic next season.
"I am especially happy because I had Rafa as a player, he is a person with a great personality, captain of the Mexican team, and who was part of one of the best Barca [teams] in history."
The venues for the 2026 World Cup were announced on Thursday, with 16 host cities spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It will also be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, and it is expected that the three hosting countries will all be granted automatic qualification.
The United States cities awarded hosting duties are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City were the Mexican cities to win the privilege, while Toronto and Vancouver will host all games allocated to Canada.
In a statement from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, he said: "We congratulate the 16 FIFA World Cup host cities on their outstanding commitment and passion.
"Today is a historic day – for everyone in those cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the USA and Mexico who will put on the greatest show on Earth.
"We look forward to working together with them to deliver what will be an unprecedented FIFA World Cup and a game-changer as we strive to make football truly global."
Mexico star Luis Romo conceded his side are "not at the best level" after a frustrating 1-1 draw at Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Leon Bailey opened the scoring for the hosts after just four minutes on Tuesday when he headed Shamar Nicholson's cross home.
Jamaica could have doubled their lead soon after, but Nicholson was denied by the crossbar, allowing Mexico a lifeline after a tepid start.
Mexico capitalised on that opportunity in additional time in the first half, with Romo finishing past Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake.
However, Gerardo Martino's side could not find a winner in the second half, leaving them a point behind leaders Jamaica, who have played a game more in their Nations League group.
With the World Cup in Qatar just five months away, Romo admitted his country have been far from their best but backed them to deliver at world football's historic tournament.
"Inside we realise that we have to overcome everything, the criticism we must take. We know that we are not at our best or maximum level, but we are very aware of what we can achieve," he told TUDN.
"A World Cup and an opportunity to make history motivates us a lot."
Mexico were somewhat fortunate to not fall behind again in the second half, with Kevin Alvarez making a goal-line clearance after the break.
El Tri arguably deserved to share the points, though, after forcing numerous saves from Blake in the final 45 minutes, and Romo believes Mexico may have even deserved to win.
"In the second half we got stuck," Romo added. "I think we deserved a bit more."
Coach Martino was left satisfied with June's internationals nevertheless.
"All the players adapted well to this training camp. It is complicated to work with 38 players, and they did well," he told reporters.
"Each match had situations that will help us analyse the future."
Mexico are not next in action until August 31, when they face Paraguay in a friendly in Atlanta.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz and Mexico were forced to settle for a share of the spoils after a feisty 1-1 draw in group A of the Concacaf Nations League Group A on Tuesday at the National Stadium.
The Mexicans began the game in an enterprising fashion and almost took the lead minutes after the kick-off. A sweeping attacking move ended with Santiago Gimenez being brilliantly thwarted by Jamaica custodian Andre Blake who snuffed out the 2nd-minute attempt no more than four yards away from goal.
It was the Jamaicans who, however, took the lead, against the run of play, through a sweeping move of their own, punctuated in the 7th minute by a bullet-header from Leon Bailey, who was picked out in the box by Shamar Nicholson.
Nicholson almost got on the scoresheet himself five minutes later but his towering header, after rising from a corner, crashed on to to the top of the crossbar.
After continuing to dominate the majority of the play, the visitors seemed set to end the half empty-handed but got some reward for their enterprise in time added on.
Luis Romo brought the team back on level terms after beating the Jamaican backline to a ball whipped into the area and heading past Blake just before the whistle.
In an entertaining second half, Nicholson almost restored the Jamaican's lead but saw his chip to goal cleared off the line by two Mexican defenders after successfully dinking the ball over the head of onrushing Mexican keeper Rodolfo Cota, after being played through on goal by Bailey.
The visitors, however, had plenty of attempts of their own, and Blake was kept busy, most notably diving full stretch to parry a fierce drive on goal from livewire Diego Lanez in the 68th minute.
With the result the Jamaicans remain at the top of the group on 5 points, while Mexico picks up their first point of the competition, joining Suriname on 1.
First-string Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Andre Blake has returned to the team’s line-up ahead of Tuesday’s Concacaf Nation’s League fixture against Mexico at the National Stadium.
The 31-year-old shot-stopper, who has racked up 68 international appearances for Jamaica, pulled out of the team suddenly ahead of last week’s fixture against Suriname. The goalkeeper also missed the second-leg match between the teams earlier this week.
The custodian reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury but unconfirmed reports also suggest the issue also stemmed from the team’s issues with former JFF general secretary Dalton Wint, who resigned last week. Blake’s return to the squad will come at a good time following an injury to stand-in goalkeeper Amal Knight who deputised for Blake for both matches.
Two new players have been added to the 23-man squad ahead of the fixture, with goalkeeper Jahmali Waite and defender Jordan Scarlett joining the team.
Knight and defender Richard King have been ruled out of the match due to injury.
The Reggae Boyz, who currently lead zone A with 4 points, after two matches, ahead of Suriname on 1. Mexico are yet to play a match in the group.
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