On Tuesday night, reports emerged that Toluca would have Alexis Vega and Jesus Gallardo back for their Concacaf Champions Cup match against LAFC. This development sparked a firestorm because Mexico, who recently drew 1-1 with Belgium, had already called up several Liga MX players, including Vega and Gallardo, for World Cup preparations. While teams initially agreed to release players despite the ongoing Liga MX Playoffs, Toluca’s sudden ability to reclaim their stars for a specific match triggered a heated dispute among other club owners.

Chivas owner Amaury Vergara responded by indicating that his players, who were scheduled to report to the National Team on Wednesday, should also be allowed back to face Tigres in the Leg 2 quarterfinal on Saturday, calling them immediately back to Guadalajara. Just hours later, the Mexican National Team issued a stern ultimatum: if any called-up players do not report to the training camp by Wednesday at 10:00 PM (ET), they will be officially excluded from the World Cup roster.

Toluca found a loophole in the agreement

Initially, the FMF established a list of Liga MX players required for the final preparation phase before the World Cup. El Tricolor indicated that while many were called to camp, not all would make the final cut, creating tension regarding which players were truly essential. Liga MX clubs that agreed to release players mid-Playoffs did so under the understanding that those players were virtually guaranteed a spot on the final list; otherwise, losing them during a title run would be senseless.

However, Toluca exploited a specific loophole in the paperwork. While the agreement between Liga MX and the FMF focused on player availability for the domestic Playoffs, Toluca are currently competing in both the Liguilla and the Concacaf Champions Cup. Toluca successfully argued for the return of Vega and Gallardo specifically for the international match against LAFC, rather than their local series against Pachuca, a distinction that caught the FMF off guard.

This technicality has made the situation incredibly complicated. Chivas, currently releasing five players to the National Team, argue they should have the same right to use their stars against Tigres. However, the FMF views the situations differently because Toluca refrained from using Vega or Gallardo in their domestic quarterfinal against Pachuca, whereas Chivas are requesting them for Liga MX play.

With only hours remaining before the 10:00 PM deadline, the Chivas players called to the National Team were reportedly still in Guadalajara as of Wednesday morning. While they could theoretically travel to report to Javier Aguirre’s camp before the cutoff, the tension is high. It remains to be seen if Aguirre will follow through on his threat to drop anyone who misses the deadline from the World Cup squad.

An opportunity opens for Guillermo Ochoa

Jose Raul “Tala” Rangel is currently the frontrunner to be Mexico’s starting goalkeeper in the World Cup. The problem is that Rangel is one of the five Chivas players currently in Guadalajara. If he fails to arrive at the National Team concentration by Wednesday night, he risks being left out of the tournament entirely.

If Rangel is excluded, a massive opportunity emerges for Guillermo Ochoa. The veteran, who is already set to appear in a record-breaking sixth World Cup, would find a much easier path to the final roster. Without Rangel in the picture, Memo could move from a mentor role back into the conversation for the starting spot on June 11.

So poor is the situation that the federation had to turn to Javier Aguirre for his third stint as national team head coach. El Vasco has since won one match and drawn another as he hopes to right the sinking ship that is Mexico.

Aguirre has already made some harsh decisions; one is calling up Monterrey’s nationalized Argentine Germán Berterame. The other is the Mexican-American Obed Vargas of the Seattle Sounders.

Is the Loss of Obed Vargas Any Concern for USMNT?

Obed Vargas plays as a midfielder, but Aguirre has listed the 19-year-old as a defender. Vargas once had a promising start to his young career, impressing many with the Seattle Sounders. While the dual national eventually settled into his role at the Rave Green, he has been nothing more than a steady performer, playing in 83 matches for the club.

Aguirre will likely hope to use Vargas possibly as a full-back, although he has been playing centrally in midfield for the Sounders. On ESPN in Mexico, one of the pundits stated that he was not happy with Obed’s call-up due to “not knowing him” and not accepting “that the national team be used to get to know players (dual nationals) and how they will interact in the national team environment.”

While many USMNT fans initially had concerns about losing Obed Vargas, given the depth at full-back, it seems doubtful that Vargas was going to receive a USMNT call-up anytime soon.