Rafael Márquez Shakes Up Mexico: 11 New Faces, Nine World Cup Players Left Out

New era, new roster. Rafael Márquez has named his first squad as Mexico's head coach, and right out of the gate he decided to shake things up considerably: 11 new faces compared to the previous cycle and as many as nine World Cup players left off the list. That's the headline from the call-up list built for the upcoming matches against Colombia, Peru, the United States and Chile, marking the Tricolor's official debut under his command.

Changes in goal and surprises on defense

Between the posts, Márquez opted to keep Raúl "Tala" Rangel but left out Carlos Acevedo. With Guillermo Ochoa off the radar entirely, two spots opened up for 23 year old goalkeepers: Álex Padilla, of Athletic Bilbao, and Óscar García, who earns his first call-up to the Mexican national team.

The backline also saw some shuffling. During Javier Aguirre's tenure, finding depth behind Johan Vásquez and César Montes remained an open issue, a spot so thin that even Luis Romo and Edson Álvarez had to fill in there at the World Cup. To reinforce that position, Márquez called up two young left footed defenders, Víctor Guzmán and Everardo López, and added Diego Campillo as another option at center back.

Fresh faces in midfield and attack

There was room for newcomers in midfield too: Alan Cervantes, of América, and Jeremy Márquez, of Cruz Azul, both earned call-ups after standout performances for their clubs, taking advantage of the absence of World Cup veterans like Edson Álvarez and Brian Gutiérrez.

Up front, the new coach will have to build his attack without Raúl Jiménez or Julián Quiñones, two absences that left open spots. One of those spots goes to Hirving Lozano, who returns to the fold on the back of his current stint with LA Galaxy. Joining him are Hugo Camberos and Santiago Sandoval, two young standouts from Chivas, along with Isaías Violante, who can operate both in midfield and in more advanced attacking roles.

Nine World Cup players left out

The flip side of the coin is the list of absences, and there are plenty. Nine players who were part of the World Cup squad don't appear on Márquez's first roster, whether due to injuries, lack of playing time or purely soccer decisions. That group includes Guillermo Ochoa (now retired) and Carlos Acevedo in goal; Edson Álvarez and Brian Gutiérrez in midfield; and up front, a notable group made up of César Huerta, Alexis Vega, Julián Quiñones, Raúl Jiménez and Guillermo Martínez, the latter having just been transferred to Tigres.

With this first call-up, Márquez has made his intentions clear: open the door for younger players and give a fresh chance to names that haven't always been on the radar in past rosters. It remains to be seen how this revamped group responds against Colombia, Peru, the United States and Chile, the first real tests for the new look Mexican national team.