U.S.-Born Jonathan González Selected To Play For Mexico Against USMNT — Chicharito Left Off Squad

Interim coach Ricardo Ferretti's Mexico squad for a pair of upcoming friendlies in the United States was announced on Wednesday. Of note, El Tri’s all-time leading goal scorer Javier Hernández was not chosen. Jonathan González, a 19-year-old native of Santa Rosa, California, was.

The Mexico squad will face Uruguay on Sept. 7 in Houston followed by the United States on Sept. 11 in Nashville, meaning González will have a chance to play against the country of his birth. 

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Ellos son los elegidos por Ricardo Ferretti para los juegos ante  y .
¡A defender con el  nuestra camiseta!

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— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) August 29, 2018

The absence of Chicharito isn’t a huge surprise. At 30, it’s unlikely he’ll be a key part of the 2022 World Cup campaign. He might join the team in the Gold Cup next summer, but there’s no need to trot out the striker for a couple of meaningless friendlies, even if the fans in Houston will miss him. Plus, he needs to work on earning playing time at West Ham, for which he scored his first goal of the season Tuesday. 

Other World Cup players left off the Mexico squad include: Carlos Vela, Rafa Márquez, Miguel Layún, Héctor Moreno, Marco Fabián, Giovani dos Santos (but not Jonathan), Andrés Guardado and Javier Aquino. 

For his part, González isn’t a surprise inclusion. 

After impressing early on with his Liga MX club Moterrey, González made a one-time FIFA switch from the USMNT, for which he appeared more than 20 times at the youth level, to Mexico, the country of his parents' birth.

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An option for Juan Carlos Osorio’s World Cup squad, he was ultimately dropped when the preliminary 28-man roster was announced. 

The bright midfielder received his El Tri debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina days after his FIFA switch went through on Jan. 31, coming on as a second-half substitute in a friendly in San Antonio. González performed well, but hasn’t been back in the Mexico squad since. 

He just might get his chance in the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and the U.S., though he won’t be a shoe-in with all the other talent on the roster. 

One player to watch out for is Hirving Lozano, PSV Eindhoven’s prolific winger who scored the winner against Germany in this summer’s World Cup. Chucky can’t stop scoring in the Netherlands right now and helped his team reach the Champions League with another great goal on Wednesday.