Mexico 2014 FIFA World Cup Squad: Player-by-Player Guide

Miguel Herrera cut to the chase and named the 23 players who will represent Mexico in this summer's World Cup.

The El Tri coach capped players from five Liga MX clubs and some European squads.

Different from what has happened in other editions, there were several footballers playing abroad who didn't make the cut. That’s the case with Javier Aquino.

There were other surprises, too, like Jose Juan Vazquez, who made the team despite having played only once with Mexico.

Let’s take a closer look at the men who will fight to get a spot in Herrera’s starting XI against Cameroon, Brazil and Croatia.

Name: Jose de Jesus Corona

Date of Birth: January 26, 1981

Birthplace: Guadalajara, Jalisco

Position: Goalkeeper

Caps: 32

Club: Cruz Azul 

Brief Bio: Jesus Corona started his career with Atlas de Guadalajara. After two years, he left for Estudiantes Tecos, where he established himself as one of the most reliable Mexican goalkeepers. He has played for Cruz Azul since 2009.

Quick-Hit Fact: Corona was one of three overage footballers who played in the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the Liga MX, he has been appointed Best Goalkeeper twice (2010 Apertura and 2012 Clausura).

Quick-Hit Stat: He has played 34,325 minutes in the Liga MX and 2,474 with Mexico.

Name: Guillermo Ochoa

Date of Birth: July 13, 1985

Birthplace: Guadalajara, Jalisco

Position: Goalkeeper

Caps: 56

Club: Ajaccio

Brief Bio: Guillermo Ochoa made his professional debut with Club America at age 18. He became an undisputed starter with the club and played his first game with El Tri in 2005. With Las Aguilas, he won four championships, including a league title.

Quick-Hit Fact: Ochoa is the first Mexican goalkeeper to play in the first division of a European league. He was named Ajaccio's Player of the Year in 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. Brazil 2014 will be his third World Cup, however he has yet to play a match in this sort of tournament.

Quick-Hit Stat: With Ajaccio, he has made 125 saves and 304 blocks (2011 to 2014).

Name: Alfredo Talavera

Date of Birth: September 18, 1982

Birthplace: La Barca, Jalisco

Position: Goalkeeper

Caps: 13

Club: Toluca

Brief Bio: At age 31, Alfredo Talavera has only played one international tournament with Mexico, the 2011 Gold Cup that El Tri won. Although he debuted in 2003 with Chivas, his career started flourishing in 2009, when he moved from Tigres to Toluca.

Quick-Hit Fact: Talavera has won two Liga MX titles, however in the 2006 Apertura, he was Oswaldo Sanchez's sub. While in the 2010 Bicentenario, he was Toluca's starting keeper.

Quick-Hit Stat: He has played 12 times with Mexico and has conceded eight goals, all in 2011.

Name: Carlos Salcido

Date of Birth: April 2, 1980

Birthplace: Ocotlan, Jalisco

Position: Left-back / defensive midfielder

Caps: 119

Club: Tigres

Brief Bio: Carlos Salcido has more caps than any other player on the team and will be playing in his third World Cup. He debuted with Chivas de Guadalajara, and after five years, he left for Europe, where he played for PSV and Fulham. After one season in the Premier League, he went back to Mexico.

Quick-Hit Fact: Salcido became the second Mexican to play in the Eredivisie. He has also appeared in eight World Cup games (2006 and 2010).

Quick-Hit Stat: He has only missed two games with Mexico, both during the 2013 hexagonal, against Panama and Costa Rica.

Name: Andres Guardado

Date of Birth: September 28, 1986

Birthplace: Guadalajara, Jalisco

Position: Left-back / left-winger

Caps: 100

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Brief Bio: When he left Atlas for Deportivo La Coruna, Andres Guardado became the most expensive Mexican footballer in history, as the Spanish club paid €7 million.

After five seasons, including one in the promotion league, Guardado moved to Valencia, however Los Che loaned him to Bayer Leverkusen in January 2014.

Quick-Hit Fact: Guardado played his first match with El Tri in 2005, four months after his professional debut with Atlas.

Quick-Hit Stat: Guardado has scored 14 goals with Mexico and has only been booked eight times.

Name: Rafael Marquez

Date of Birth: February 13, 1979

Birthplace: Zamora, Michoacan

Position: Centre-back

Caps: 118

Club: Leon

Brief Bio: Rafael Marquez left Mexico in 1999 to join Ligue 1 club Monaco. After four seasons, he joined La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, where he won 12 titles, including two UEFA Champions League titles. 

In 2010, he arrived in the United States and started playing for New York Red Bulls. Three years later, he returned to Mexico, where he has played ever since.

Quick-Hit Fact: Brazil 2014 will be Marquez's fourth World Cup. In Korea-Japan 2002, he wore the armband and received a red card in the round of 16.

Quick-Hit Stat: Marquez has played 10,020 minutes out of 10,800 possible with Mexico; he has scored 15 times with El Tri.

Name: Francisco Rodriguez

Date of Birth: October 20, 1981

Birthplace: Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Position: Centre-back

Caps: 91

Club: Club America

Brief Bio: El Maza was a key player for Chivas when the club secured its 11th league title (2006 Apertura). Francisco Rodriguez's performance put him on several European teams' radar, but ultimately, PSV sealed the deal in May 2008.

After three seasons, he moved to Stuttgart and finally went back to Mexico in 2012. This summer, El Maza will play in his second World Cup.

Quick-Hit Fact: Before receiving his first cap for the senior team, Rodriguez played for the U-23 squad in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Quick-Hit Stat: Rodriguez received more red cards (two) in the 2014 Clausura than any other player. However, with El Tri, he has only been sent away once, in a friendly against Venezuela (2010).

Name: Hector Moreno

Date of Birth: January 17, 1988

Birthplace: Culiacan, Sinaloa

Position: Centre-back

Caps: 50

Club: Espanyol

Brief Bio: Hector Moreno showed his talent to the world at the 2005 U-17 World Cup, which Mexico won. After that, he became a regular with Pumas, and in 2008, he left for Europe on a four-year deal with AZ Alkmaar. He arrived at Espanyol in 2011, where he has played ever since. 

Quick-Hit Fact: With Mexico, Moreno has only played two World Cup games, against France and Uruguay in 2010.

Quick-Hit Stat: He has only been a sub in five matches, against Peru (2008), Italy, Chile and New Zealand (all three in 2009) and Brazil (2011).

Name: Diego Reyes

Date of Birth: September 19, 1992

Birthplace: Mexico City

Position: Centre-back

Caps: 12

Club: Porto

Brief Bio: Diego Reyes made his professional debut with Club America in April 2010, however he only played three minutes. He became an undisputed starter when Miguel Herrera took over the team in 2012.

Reyes was a key player during that year's Summer Olympics, which landed him a contract with Porto. He won the 2013 Clausura with Las Aguilas before leaving for Europe.

Quick-Hit Fact: He was named Rookie of the Year in the 2011 Clausura tournament.

Quick-Hit Stat: Reyes is the tallest player on the team (6'4''). With Club America, he scored three goals and with Mexico U-23, he netted once, all with the head.

Name: Paul Aguilar

Date of Birth: March 6, 1986

Birthplace: Concordia, Sinaloa

Position: Right-back

Caps: 29

Club: Club America

Brief Bio: Paul Aguilar debuted with Pachuca in 2006, where he played 142 games and scored 11 goals. Aguilar secured various titles with Los Tuzos, including three in the CONCACAF Champions League, one in the Copa Sudamericana and one in the Liga MX. Five years later, Club America bought him.

Quick-Hit Fact: Although he has only 29 caps with Mexico, Aguilar has already played one World Cup match (against South Africa in 2010) as well as the 2011 Gold Cup, which Mexico won.

Quick-Hit Stat: Aguilar has only missed four games with El Tri since he was first capped in 2007, against Nigeria (2007), Argentina (2010), United States and South Korea (2014).

Name: Miguel Layun

Date of Birth: June 25, 1988

Birthplace: Cordoba, Veracruz

Position: Left-back/right-back

Caps: 11

Club: Club America

Brief Bio: Miguel Layun started his career with Veracruz in 2007. Two years later, Layun became the first Mexican to play for a Serie A team, when he debuted with Atalanta. However, he only appeared twice with La Dea and returned to Mexico in 2010 to play for Club America, where he has become an undisputed starter.

Quick-Hit Fact: Layun can play on both flanks of the pitch. In the 2013 Gold Cup, he took over the right flank, while with Herrera, he has been playing on the left.

Quick-Hit Stat: He has only been sent off once, with Club America during the 2011 Clausura. However, he has been booked 13 times, all of them in his club career.

Name: Miguel Angel Ponce

Date of Birth: April 12, 1989

Birthplace: California, United States

Position: Left-back

Caps: 6

Club: Toluca

Brief Bio: He started his professional career in 2010 with Chivas de Guadalajara. Although he played eight tournaments with the club he never locked the starting position. In 2014 he was loaned to Toluca, where he scored in the Liga MX for the first time in four years.

Miguel Ponce's rise to stardom came in 2012, when he won the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Toulon Tournament and Summer Olympics under Luis Fernando Tena's command.

Quick-Hit Fact: Ponce was appointed instead of Juan Carlos Medina for the World Cup team on May 20, 2014. El Negrito was sidelined from the tournament due to an ankle injury.

Quick-Hit Stat: He is the fourth player with fewer caps on the team.

Name: Carlos Pena

Date of Birth: March 29, 1990

Birthplace: Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas

Position: Right midfielder/left midfielder

Caps: 14

Club: Leon

Brief Bio: Carlos Pena spent three seasons with Pachuca before being transferred to Leon in 2011. By that time, La Fiera was playing in the promotion league. He won the Ascenso MX title a year later, which sent Leon to the first division, where he also secured the championship in 2013.

Quick-Hit Fact: At age 13, he left his hometown and went to Pachuca to do tryouts with that city's team. After he was recruited, he started his career as striker.

Quick-Hit Stat: Pena has scored two goals with Mexico and 21 with Leon.

Name: Javier Aquino

Date of Birth: February 11, 1990

Birthplace: San Francisco Ixhuatan, Oaxaca

Position: Right midfielder

Caps: 19

Club: Villarreal

Brief Bio: Javier Aquino made his professional debut with Cruz Azul when he was 20 years old. He had been playing for la Maquina's youth system since he was a kid.

He caught the media attention in 2012, when he played for the U-23 squad that won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics. His first appearance with the senior team was in a friendly against Venezuela.

Quick-Hit Fact: Miguel Herrera decided to put Aquino on the stand by list for the World Cup. However, he took Luis Montes' place after the Leon midfielder broke his leg in a warm-up match against Ecuador

Quick-Hit Stat: He has started 12 games with Mexico and has played a total of 1,124 minutes.

Name: Marco Fabian

Date of Birth: July 21, 1989 

Birthplace: Zapopan, Jalisco

Position: Left midfielder

Caps: 11

Club: Cruz Azul

Brief Bio: Marco Fabian debuted with Chivas in 2007. However, he was hardly criticized for his bad behavior. In 2012, he was loaned to Cruz Azul, where he went back to his old self and became the second-best Mexican scorer of the 2014 Clausura.

He was part of the U-23 squad that secured the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Quick-Hit Fact: Fabian scored seven goals in the latest Liga MX tournament (2014 Clausura); the last time that happened was in the 2011 Apertura, when he netted eight times.

Quick-Hit Stat: In 2012, while playing for Mexico's U-23 side, he scored 15 goals, including seven in the Toulon tournament and five in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament; in both competitions, he was the top scorer.

Name: Hector Herrera

Date of Birth: April 19, 1990

Birthplace: Tijuana, Baja California

Position: Central midfielder

Caps: 10

Club: Porto

Brief Bio: Hector Herrera played four years in Mexico's promotion league before finally debuting with Pachuca in 2011. Herrera made a name for himself a year later while playing with Mexico U-23 team.

He won the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, the gold medal at the Summer Olympics and the Toulon tournament; in the latter, he was named Best Player. 

Quick-Hit Fact: He was sold to Porto in 2013 for €8 million, as reported by Mexican website MedioTiempo.com.

Quick-Hit Stat: He set the record for the quickest dismissal in the UEFA Champions League history after receiving two yellow cards in the first six minutes of the match against Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Name: Isaac Brizuela

Date of Birth: August 28, 1990

Birthplace: San Jose, California

Position: Attacking midfielder

Caps: 5

Club: Toluca

Brief Bio: Isaac Brizuela started playing in Toluca's youth system. In 2007, he finally made it to the promotion league with Atletico Mexiquense. Brizuela's first division debut came in 2009. He spent seven seasons with Toluca before being loaned to Atlas. He returned to Los Diablos six months later.

Quick-Hit Fact: In 2011, Brizuela won the Pan American Games held in Guadalajara. In total, he played four games.

Quick-Hit Stat: After 10 seasons in the Liga MX, he has scored 13 goals and has been booked three times.

Name: Jose Juan Vazquez

Date of Birth: March 14, 1988 

Birthplace: Celaya, Guanajuato

Position: Central midfielder

Caps: 2

Club: Leon

Brief Bio: Jose Juan Vazquez started his professional career in the lower divisions of Mexican football. His big break came with Celaya, as he helped the club reach the Ascenso MX. After one season in the promotion league, he was loaned to Leon, where he became an undisputed starter and secured the title. La Fiera bought him in 2012. 

Quick-Hit Fact: El Gallo has only played one game with Mexico—a match against South Korea. He missed the friendly against the United States due to visa issues.

Quick-Hit Stat: He has started 71 Liga MX games with Leon out of a possible 78.

Name: Giovani Dos Santos

Date of Birth: May 11, 1989

Birthplace: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Position: Attacking midfielder/second striker

Caps: 73

Club: Villarreal

Brief Bio: Giovani Dos Santos started his professional career with Barcelona B at age 17. He made it to the senior team in 2007, under Frank Rijkaard's tenure.

In 2008, he signed a £4.7 million deal with Tottenham Hotspur, as reported by The Telegraph. However, he was loaned to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Racing Santander. His breakthrough came with Mallorca in 2012 and later with Villarreal.

With Mexico U-17, he won the 2005 World Cup; with the U-23 squad, he claimed the gold medal in the Summer Olympics, and with the senior team, he has won two Gold Cups (2009 and 2011).  

Quick-Hit Fact: Dos Santos is the only footballer on the team who has never played with a Mexican team.

Quick-Hit Stat: From all the midfielders and strikers in the 20s on the team, Dos Santos is the one who has received the most caps.

Name: Javier Hernandez

Date of Birth: June 1, 1988

Birthplace: Guadalajara, Jalisco

Position: Striker

Caps: 58

Club: Manchester United

Brief Bio: Javier Hernandez debuted with Chivas de Guadalajara at age 18. He quickly became an icon, and after 80 appearances and 29 goals, he signed with Manchester United. Despite the lack of playing time with the Premier League heavyweights, Chicharito has managed to score 59 times.

He missed the 2005 U-17 World Cup due to a knee injury. Two years later, he played the U-20 World Cup, where he scored once. With the senior team, Hernandez has scored 35 times, which sets him as the third all-time scorer on the team.

Quick-Hit Fact: Chicharito has only missed one game with El Tri—a match against Honduras in the 2013 hexagonal.

Quick-Hit Stat: Hernandez was the fastest footballer in South Africa 2010, where he registered a top speed of 32.2 km/h.

Name: Oribe Peralta

Date of Birth: January 12, 1984

Birthplace: Torreon, Coahuila

Position: Striker

Caps: 30

Club: Club America

Brief Bio: Oribe Peralta debuted with Morelia in 2003 but was quickly transferred to Leon. After securing one title in the Ascenso MX with La Fiera, he played for Monterrey from 2004 to 2006. He arrived in Santos Laguna for the 2006 Apertura but was released on a one-year loan to Chiapas after five tournaments. He returned to Los Guerreros in 2010.

With Mexico U-23, he won the 2012 Summer Olympics gold medal, while with the senior team, he was named CONCACAF Best Player in 2013.

Quick-Hit Fact: Peralta signed with Club America in May. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, he will receive an annual salary of $2.5 million, making him the most expensive Liga MX player in history.

Quick-Hit Stat: Since the 2013 Clausura, El Hermoso has been the best Mexican scorer in the Liga MX, with a total tally of 27 goals in three tournaments.

Name: Raul Jimenez

Date of Birth: May 5, 1991

Birthplace: Tepeji, Hidalgo

Position: Striker

Caps: 22

Club: Club America

Brief Bio: Raul Jimenez made his professional debut in 2010 against Monarcas. However, it was until the 2012 Apertura that he became a regular player under the command of Herrera.

He was a key player with the Mexico U-23 team, with which he won the Summer Olympics gold medal and the Toulon tournament, where he scored once. He received his first cap for the national team in 2013.

Quick-Hit Fact: Jimenez scored his first hat-trick against Santos Laguna in the 2014 Clausura Liguilla quarterfinals.

Quick-Hit Stat: He has netted 32 times with Club America so far, 26 of them between 2013 and 2014.

Name: Alan Pulido

Date of Birth: March 8, 1991

Birthplace: Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas

Position: Striker

Caps: 3

Club: Tigres

Brief Bio: Alan Pulido has been part of Tigres since he was a kid. He left the club's youth system in 2010. That same year, he made his professional debut. Pulido has won a Superliga, a Liga MX and a Copa MX title with Tigres.

He played in the 2012 Toulon tournament and the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament with the Mexico U-23 side, however he missed the Summer Olympics.

Quick-Hit Fact: He scored a hat-trick in his first game with the Mexico senior team. Pulido scored Mexico's final three goals in a 4-0 win against South Korea on January 29, 2014.

Quick-Hit Stat: From 2011 to 2014, Pulido has scored at least once in the Liga MX.

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