Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos named to Mexico’s Confederations Cup roster
Reporting from COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos was selected Thursday to Mexico’s 23-man roster for the Confederations Cup tournament in Russia, which kicks off June 17.
Also named to the team was Dos Santos’ brother Jonathan, a midfielder for Spanish club Villarreal; forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time leading scorer; Real Sociedad striker Carlos Vela; 21-year-old forward Hirving Lozano of Mexican club Pachuca; and ageless defender Rafa Marquez (he’s 38) of Liga MX team Atlas.
Mexico will play its first game June 18 against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal before meeting New Zealand and Russia in its other pool-play matches. If Mexico finishes in the top two in its group, it will play its final game – either in the tournament final or in the third-place game – July 2.
That will make Dos Santos unavailable to the Galaxy (5-5-3) during the busiest stretch of the season, when they’ll play six games in a three-week span from June 14 to July 4.
Dos Santos’ selection was something of a long shot earlier this spring after he went seven starts without a goal from open play.
“Is he an automatic choice? No,” Mexican Coach Juan Carlos Osorio said in April. “Does he have the chance to be a very influential player in the national team? Yes.
“It’s all up to him.”
Dos Santos responded with five goals in four games, earning his selection. He is the only MLS player named to the Mexican team. Thirteen players on the squad are currently with European clubs.
The Confederations Cup is an eight-team tournament featuring the host country for the next World Cup – in this case Russia -- the reigning FIFA World Cup winners and the current champions of six FIFA confederations. It is considered an important dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
Mexico’s roster
Goalkeepers: Rodolfo Cota (Chivas), Guillermo Ochoa (Granada), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
Defenders: Oswaldo Alanis (Chivas), Nestor Araujo (Santos Laguna), Rafael Marquez (Atlas), Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven), Diego Reyes (Espanyol), Luis Reyes (Atlas), Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina)
Midfielders: Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal), Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven), Hector Herrera (FC Porto), Miguel Layun (FC Porto), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Forwards: Javier Aquino (Tigres), Jesus Manuel Corona (FC Porto), Giovani dos Santos (Galaxy), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Raul Jimenez (Benfica), Hirving Lozano (Pachuca), Oribe Peralta (Club America), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad)
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