Mexico will face the USMNT, Honduras and El Salvador for their last matches of the Concacaf 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Gerardo Martino’s team is third in the table, with 21 points, the same amount as the United States, so their encounter will be key for the qualification.
El Tri is coming to the final rounds after a tight victory against Panama (1-0) and a goalless draw against Costa Rica last time around. Martino has received criticism for his roster, as he insists on calling players that haven’t had their best performances so far.
For this matches, Mexico will have to deal with importantabsences such as Rogelio Funes Mori, Andrés Guardado and Chicharito Hernández, who wasn’t called up for the team. Another name that won’t be playing for El Tri is Carlos Vela, here check out why.
World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Why is Carlos Vela not going to play for Mexico?
Carlos Vela, 33, confirmed in February that he wasn’t going to play again with the Mexican national team. “The door to the national team is closed. I think it’s time for young people like Chucky Lozano, Tecatito Corona and Diego Lainez,” he told ESPN at the time.
While Vela said that he’s happy in the MLS, where he plays with Los Angeles FC, he also said that he was thinking about retirement. “I’ll see later if I’m not enjoying myself or I’m not how I want to be, it will be time to leave it,” he told the media.
Tata Martino also talked about Vela’s decision, confirming that he wanted to have him but he respects his choice of not coming back with the national team. “He told me that he preferred to give priority to both his club and his family, and so the situation practically ended at that moment,” Martino revealed last year.