In the absence of Raúl Jiménez, the fight for the position of center forward of the Mexican National Team opens for Funes Mori and other attackers
Rogelio Funes Mori was included in the preliminary list of Gerardo Martino, DT of the Mexican team, for the 2021 Gold Cup. Rayados’ striker became a Mexican citizen a few days ago and is shaping up to be the starting striker for ‘Tata’ in the top Concacaf competition.
Due to the absence of Raúl Jiménez, Martino decided to call Rogelio Funes Mori, who arrived in Liga MX in 2015 and has already scored more than 120 goals with the Monterrey jersey. Certainly the numbers of Funes mori They are outstanding, but the attacker will have to try his best if he wants to be immovable in Gerado’s scheme due to the high competition in his position.
Prior to the debut of Funes mori with the Tri, ESPN Digital It presents you with the strikers with whom the Rayados player would have to compete for a place in the national team.
He is the top scorer in the history of the Mexican team and it was during years the main offensive reference of the Tri; However, in recent seasons his level suffered a significant drop when he was with Sevilla, his last club in the Old Continent, although he offered details of his best football version. Earlier this year, Hernández signed with the LA Galaxy of the MLS and signed probably the worst season of his career, however, Javier worked during the holidays to obtain his best physical level and in this MLS season he has seven goals in seven games. Without a doubt, ‘Chicharito’ is the main competition of Funes mori.
The Wolves attacker is Gerardo Martino’s first choice in the Mexican team. The former América player has established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League and his numbers from the previous season show it: 17 goals and six assists in 38 games. In total, Jiménez finished the 2019-20 campaign with 27 goals and 10 assists and last season he only scored four goals in 10 games after suffering a skull injury that has taken him off the field since November 2020. The priority of Jiménez will first return to play with the Wolves and later try to regain his level.
The former player of the Sacred Rebaño left Liga MX and emigrated to the United States to play with Sporting Kansas City of the MLS. Pulido, 29, started the campaign ‘on’ by scoring in the opening games and in the ‘MLS Is Back’ tournament. In the current campaign, Pulido boasts five goals in eight commitments, so the former Chivas forward could be Gerardo Martino’s second option in case ‘Chicharito’ does not appear on the final list.
In the last two Liga MX tournaments, the América player positioned himself as one of the best Mexican forwards in the championship. With 28 years, Martín, who renewed his contract with the Eagles until 2024, has shown that he has the ability to compete as the starting center forward of the Tri and a good performance in the Olympic Games could lead him to be the attacker of Mexico at the start of the World Cup qualifiers.
He is one of the most important promises of Aztec football and even many fans hope to see him soon in the Old Continent, although it is a fact that the Chivas player has suffered a drop in level in recent months. Macías has shown to have a strong mentality, so if he works and recovers the level he showed with León, the striker could be one of the most important figures of the Tri in the coming years but currently he would not be one of the main options of the ‘Tata’ .
The 20-year-old striker, who has Argentine nationality, made his debut in Liga MX only in August 2019 and a year later he won his first call to the Mexican team. Like José Juan Macías, Giménez, who had a prominent role in the Liguilla in which Cruz Azul was crowned champion, looks more like the attacker of the future of the Aztec team.