The Copa America Centenario is less than one month away, and with the final squad list due by May 20, it's time for one final look at Mexico's depth chart ahead of a key tournament.
The real strength of Mexico's pool right now is that youngsters such as Carlos Salcedo, Hirving Lozano and Orbelin Pineda are pushing more established names and providing a level of competition for places that will encourage head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
The holes are a lack of depth on the left side of the team, from the left center-back to the left-back position and left midfield.
One thing that stands out is that all of those named as starters at their positions play in Europe except for Paul Aguilar, who plays for Club America.
The current predicted starting XI for Osorio and Mexico is as follows (4-3-3): Guillermo Ochoa; Paul Aguilar, Diego Reyes, Hector Moreno, Miguel Layun; Jonathan dos Santos, Hector Herrera, Andres Guardado; Carlos Vela, Jesus Corona, Javier Hernandez.
Goalkeepers
1. Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga)
2. Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
3. Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul)
There's a change from the last depth chart here, due to Ochoa's solid form in La Liga and the fact that the No. 1 spot at Malaga now appears to be his. Ochoa's boost of confidence has coincided with Talavera not reaching his usual high levels over the past couple of weeks, most notably against Cruz Azul last Sunday, but also in the heavy 4-0 loss to Sao Paulo in the Copa Libertadores.
In truth, there is little between Mexico's top two goalkeepers, with Corona, Alejandro Palacios (Pumas) and Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey) battling it out for that third spot.
Right-back
1. Paul Aguilar (Club America)
2. Miguel Layun (Porto)
3. Israel Jimenez (Tigres)
Aguilar is perhaps one of Mexico's most underrated players, considering he has been a starter under the last three coaches and is likely to continue to be under Osorio. Layun's excellent performance in the away game against Canada in March on the left surely swayed the Colombian coach into opening the right-back slot to Aguilar.
If for any reason Aguilar doesn't play, Layun would slot in on the right and Jorge Torres Nilo likely on the left.
Olympic gold medalist Jimenez remains in the mix, and Chivas right-back Raul Lopez's rise has been dented by him losing his starting spot at club level to Jesus Sanchez.
Right-sided center-back
1. Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad)
2. Carlos Salcedo (Chivas)
3. Rafa Marquez (Atlas)
Given Marquez's form for Atlas, it is difficult to believe Osorio is primarily considering him as a center-back for Copa America. Luckily for El Tri, Reyes, 23, is beginning to fulfill his substantial potential at Real Sociedad. And domestically, Salcedo has regained his form at Chivas and is putting in some commanding performances once again.
It was a slight surprise that Hugo Ayala (Tigres) was left off Osorio's 40-player preliminary Copa America list, and Guadalajara's Jair Pereira can also consider himself unfortunate not to be included.
The omission of Francisco "Maza" Rodriguez can probably be interpreted as the end of the veteran's international career.
Left-side center-back
1. Hector Moreno (PSV)
2. Jose Rivas (Tigres)
3. Yasser Corona (Queretaro)
As previously noted, Mexico suffers from a severe lack of left-footed center-backs. That is why the two-footed Rivas and left-footed Corona, who hasn't started a Liga MX game for Queretaro since Mar. 13, are being considered by Osorio.
If Moreno should be injured or unavailable, the best option may be to play Salcedo on the left, as he usually does at Chivas.
Oswaldo Alanis remains on the long-term injury list at Guadalajara.
Left-back
1. Miguel Layun (Porto)
2. Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres)
3. Luis Fuentes (Pumas)
The right-footed Layun is the obvious choice on the left, even if Osorio would, in an ideal world, prefer to play him on the right. Torres Nilo provides adequate cover, and the fact neither Luis Fuentes (Pumas) nor Adrian Aldrete (Santos Laguna) made the 40-man list strongly hints that Layun and Torres will be fighting for the spot.
Holding midfield
1. Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal)
2. Jesus Molina Santos (Laguna)
3. Rafa Marquez (Atlas)
Like in the first half of the World Cup qualifier in Canada in March and against the United States in the CONCACAF Cup last October, Marquez is probably now considered a holding midfielder in the international set-up. In that position, he has two center-backs to cover him and can drop back into the defense or step up depending on how the game is going.
But there is no denying that Marquez's form hasn't been great in this 2016 Clausura, and Dos Santos has had the best season of his career in Spain, albeit in a role on the right of a four-man midfield. Dos Santos has to be in pole position right now in the defensive midfield role, although Molina offers a more physical option that may suit Osorio for certain games.
World Cup 2014 standout Jose Juan Vazquez has not been playing well at Leon, perhaps partly because he is now sharing the role of holding midfielder alongside Aldo Rocha in Luis Fernando Tena's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Right midfield
1. Hector Herrera (Porto)
2. Carlos Pena (Chivas)
3. Rodolfo Pizarro (Pachuca)
Herrera's importance to the team is set in stone. The real story here is the re-emergence of Pena. The robust and powerful attacking midfielder appears to be back and offers something different at international level.
Pizarro is also in there with a shout, as is Chivas youngster Orbelin Pineda, Jonathan dos Santos and the versatile Jesus Duenas (Tigres). Toluca's Carlos Esquivel has dropped out of the running.
Left midfield
1. Andres Guardado (PSV)
2. Hector Herrera (Porto)
3. Giovani dos Santos (L.A. Galaxy)
Again, this is a position in which Mexico is not blessed with many natural left-footers to provide balance to the team as a unit. An injury to Pachuca youngster Erick Gutierrez, a left-footer, may have been the reason he was left out of the 40-player preliminary squad. Osorio has even talked about Giovani dos Santos playing the position, but that will certainly raise questions considering he is an unknown quantity in the role.
Another option is Eintracht Frankfurt's Marco Fabian.
Right wing
1. Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad)
2. Giovani dos Santos (L.A. Galaxy)
3. Isaac Brizuela (Chivas)
Options abound on the wings for Mexico. If Osorio wants a left-footed player who can cut inside from the right and leave space for overlapping full-backs, Vela and Dos Santos fit the bill. Vela hasn't had his best season with Real Sociedad, but he is slowly starting to show some form, and Dos Santos is on a scoring streak for the Galaxy.
If the Mexico manager opts for a right-footer, Candido Ramirez (Monterrey), Jurgen Damm (Tigres), who has struggled of late, Brizuela, Jesus Corona, Hirving Lozano and Javier Aquino could all play there.
Left wing
1. Jesus "Tecatito" Corona (Porto)
2. Hirving Lozano (Pachuca)
3. Javier Aquino (Tigres)
Corona has gone from standout youngster to something approaching an automatic starter, and Lozano is following a similar path.
Another name to look out for is Chivas' Carlos Cisneros, who will play at the Olympics and has been impacting games of late in the Liga MX from the left wing.
Striker
1. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen)
2. Raul Jimenez (Benfica)
3. Oribe Peralta (Club America)
With Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League off the back of his goals, Hernandez is the undisputed No. 1 striker for Mexico at present, although Jimenez and Peralta provide excellent back-ups and potential strike-partners for the Guadalajara native.
After that, there isn't much depth, with Eduardo Herrera (Pumas) and Alan Pulido (Olympiakos) next in line.