LA Galaxy forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández will be listed in Mexico’s provisional roster for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, almost two years after last playing for El Tri.
Even with the two-year gap, Chicharito remains Mexico’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals in 109 appearances. He last featured for La Seleccion Mexicana in September 2019, during a friendly against the US men’s national team. Earlier this year, former Atlanta United manager and current Mexico head coach Tata Martino praised the forward for his start to the MLS season.
“Javier Hernadez’s start to this season has been so good, like the team’s, but obviously within that his goals have allowed him to stand out among the rest,” he said, as quoted by MLS Soccer.
Despite the comment, Martino failed to include him in Mexico’s Nations League roster. He said at the time: “Javier isn’t in this list because we went with other central forwards. There are four central forwards chosen and Javier isn’t there, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be chosen at another time.”
With the last statement, Martino made it clear that the opportunity for Chicharito to feature for his national team remained.
Now, TUDN reports that Chicharito has been included in the provisional squad ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup, one of the most competitive tournaments this summer.
The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Chicharito’s phenomenal start to the 2021 MLS season. He stands as the current frontrunner for the 2021 Golden Boot, leading the league with seven goals in seven matches.
Going into the tournament, Mexico will be looking to defend their 2019 Gold Cup title. Their last campaign saw Mexico defeat the USMNT in a dramatic 1-0 victory. Leading up to this year’s tournament, Martino has given an opportunity to many young MLS players in hopes to find the best team moving forward.
Sporting Kansas City’s Alan Pulido and LA Galaxy midfielders Efrain Alvarez and Jonathan dos Santos were the recent Major League Soccer players to feature for El Tri during the team’s Nation League run.
