The U.S. Men’s National Team wasn’t the only squad to announce its preliminary roster for the upcoming June Concacaf Nations League Final Four, as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras did the same on Monday.
Tata Martino’s side had the most surprising exclusion from its roster, leaving out veteran forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time leading scorer. Hernandez has kicked off the new season in MLS with six goals in four games with the LA Galaxy, but that didn’t change his fate.
The 32-year-old last featured for the Mexican National Team in a 3-0 friendly win over the USMNT back in 2019. Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has been included despite missing out on the last six months of action with a fractured skull, as was Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido.
Galaxy teammate Efrain Alvarez did feature in Mexico’s 40-man roster, after breaking onto the scene last season. Should the 18-year-old make the final cut and make an appearance, Alvarez would be cap-tied by Mexico. At the moment he is still eligible for both Mexico and the United States, having taken part in a USMNT camp in December.
Keylor Navas headlines Costa Rica’s 40-man roster, offering a safe pair of hands between the posts. Elsewhere, Nashville SC midfielder Randall Leal made the cut and has started the season in good form for the Eastern Conference side, netting one goal and two assists in four appearances. Leal has 18 caps to his name for Costa Rica, debuting in 2018.
Ariel Lassiter, Joseph Mora, Francisco Calvo, Allan Cruz, Giancarlo Gonzalez, and Ronald Mattarita are among other MLS players that feature on Rónald González Brenes’ preliminary roster.
Honduras has once again relied on several familiar faces in its squad, calling in Alberth Elis, Maynor Figueroa, and Bryan Acosta. Elis has been one of the top options for Portuguese club Boavista, while both Acosta and Figueroa have featured in the opening weeks of the MLS season.
Los Catrachos will face the USMNT in the Nations League semifinals on June 3rd in Denver, while on the other side of the bracket, Mexico takes on Costa Rica. The winners will face off in the final on June 6 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Here are the full rosters:
Preliminary Nations League rosters
Mexico
GOALKEEPERS: Jonathan Orozco, Guillermo Ochoa, Hugo González, Rodolfo Cota and Alfredo Talavera.
DEFENDERS: Johan Vásquez, Jorge Sánchez, Carlos Salcedo, Luis Romo, Osvaldo Rodríguez, Luis Rodríguez, Héctor Moreno, César Montes, Gerardo Arteaga, Néstor Araujo, Kevin Álvarez and Gilberto Sepúlveda.
MIDFIELDERS: Carlos Rodríguez, Erick Gutiérrez, Orbelín Pineda, Miguel Layún, Diego Lainez, Andrés Guardado, Héctor Herrera, Jesús Gallardo, Jonathan Dos Santos, Sebastián Córdova, Alan Cervantes, Edson Álvarez, Roberto Alvarado and Erick Aguirre.
FORWARDS: Alan Pulido, Rodolfo Pizarro, Henry Martín, Hirving Lozano, Raúl Jiménez, Jesús Corona, Uriel Antuna, Efraín Álvarez and Alexis Vega.
Costa Rica
GOALKEEPERS: Keylor Navas, Leonel Moreira, Patrick Sequeira, Esteban Alvarado, Kevin Briceno.
DEFENDERS: Francisco Calvo, Oscar Duarte, Fernan Faerron, Keysher Fuller, Alexis Gamboa, Christian Gamboa, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Ronald Matarrita, Joseph Mora, Bryan Oviedo, Aaron Salazar, Kendall Waston.
MIDFIELDERS: Bernald Alfaro, Ricardo Blanco, Celso Borges, Jefferson Brenes, Allan Cruz, Luis Diaz, David Guzman, Randall Leal, Christopher Nunez, Bryan Ruiz, Barlon Sequeira, Yeltsin Tejeda, Gerson Torres, Suhander Zuniga.
FORWARDS: Manfred Ugalde, Johan Venegas, Brayan Rojas, Jose Guillermo Ortiz, Jurguens Montenegro, Alonso Martinez, Ariel Lassiter, Joel Campbell, Felicio Brown,
Honduras
GOALKEEPERS: Harold Fonseca, Alex Guity, Luis Lopez, Roberto Lopez, Edrick Menjivar.
DEFENDERS: Ever Alvarado, Kevin Alvarez, Wesly Decas, Maynor Figueroa, Jose Garcia, Johnny Leveron, Carlos Melendez, Andy Najar, Maylor Nunez, Elvin Oliva.
MIDFIELDERS: Bryan Acosta, Kervin Arriaga, Jhow Benavidez, Juan Delgado, Franklin Flores, Deybi Flores, Oscar Garcia, Jose Garcia, Alexander Lopez, Kevin Lopez, Walter Martinez.
FORWARDS: Jerry Bengtson, Jorge Benguche, Alberth Elis, Carlos Fernandez, Antony Lozano, Luis Palma.