End of Alan Pulido Saga Offers Miguel Herrera More Mexico Options

Alan Pulido is set to make his debut with Levadiakos. After eight months, the Mexico international is ready to return to the pitch and earn a spot in one of Miguel Herrera's squads.

Pulido left Tigres after the 2014 World Cup. The footballer claimed that his contract ended after the 2014 Clausura, while UANL were sure the forward was still part of their roster.

Pulido sent a letter to Mexican website MedioTiempo.com (in Spanish), in which he explained that since Tigres didn't want to uphold the agreement, he presented a legal case in the Mexican Football Federation.

Things escalated quickly, both sides fought hard but ultimately FIFA favored the footballer, as reported by Tigres themselves, per MedioTiempo.com (in Spanish).

Beyond being fantastic news for Pulido, it's also great for Mexico coach Herrera.

We've talked before about the importance of putting together two strong teams for the Copa America and the Gold Cup, and that's why the end of the Pulido saga is key to the selection process.

Mexico's attack used to be a bit rusty. It was evident during the 2014 World Cup, where El Tri netted five times, with two of those from Andres Guardado and Rafael Marquez.

Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos were the only forwards to put the ball away.

The following games were not different. Mexico faced Chile (scoreless draw), Bolivia, Honduras and Panama in a two-month span.

Overall, El Piojo's side netted four times, but two defenders helped the cause: Miguel Layun and Oswaldo Alanis. Erick Torres and Chicharito secured the other two.

Mexico lacked finishing touch. Their verticality and depth were fantastic. Layun and Paul Aguilar have been instrumental through the sidelines, but without a lethal striker, there was room for improvement.

When Carlos Vela agreed to join Mexico after three-and-a-half years the expectations grew quickly. The Real Sociedad footballer came off from his best season in Europe, as he scored 21 times overall.

He didn't disappoint when he started the game against the Netherlands. His knack for goalscoring combined with his fine touch helped El Tri secure a 1-3 victory.

Unfortunately, Vela suffered a knee injury that will sideline him until mid-April, which has pushed coach Herrera to leave the footballer out of his list for the international friendlies that will be held in March.

On the other hand, Pulido is healthy. Granted, he hasn't played, but that is no reason why El Piojo wouldn't give him a chance.

The Mexico manager said in a press conference (in Spanish) that he is willing to see everybody, as long as they have the rhythm and compromise necessary to wear El Tri kit, they will make one of the two squads.

Pulido is very talented. In January 2014, he debuted with the senior national team, and he did it in style. The forward scored a hat-trick and ultimately secured a spot in Mexico's World Cup squad.

In his last season with Tigres (2014 Clausura), he appeared 17 times and scored five goals. He created 22 goal opportunities, 77 percent of them through the center of the pitch.

Pulido was also sharp when he passed the ball. His completion average was as high as 85 percent, which translates into 426 passes.

It will be a matter of time to see if he can be a viable option for Herrera. Pulido trained for six months in Monaco and Milan before joining Levadiakos, was it enough? Let's hope so.

All stats appear courtesy of Squawka, unless otherwise noted.