Mexico are in a good position to qualify for the World Cup 2014 round of 16.
El Tri beat Cameroon 1-0 in their opening Group A match, and famously held Brazil to a 0-0 draw in their second match.
Brazil and Mexico are tied on points in Group A, with Mexico being in second position due to Brazil’s superior goal difference.
A draw with Croatia on Monday will see Mexico through to the knock-out stages of the Brazil World Cup.
Check out some of coach Miguel Herrera’s preferred players in the tournament so far.
Guillermo Ochoa (Kit Number 13)
(YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Ochoa has played brilliant in the 2014 World Cup so far, keeping two clean sheet against Cameroon and more famously, Brazil.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper made his professional debut 10 years ago for Mexican side América.
In 2011, he moved to France Ligue 1 team Ajaccio, and as of 2014, Ochoa is a free agent.
Ochoa was the third-choice Mexico goalkeeper at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and was understudy to Oscar Perez in the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
After Miguel Herrera took over as coach, and after putting in some good performances, Ochoa became Mexico’s number 1.
With more brilliant saves like those against Brazil, Ochoa is certain to keep his spot for a good spell.
Paul Aguilar (Kit Number 22)
(Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Full-back Paul Aguilar made his professional debut for Mexican Liga MX side Pachuca in 2002, before joining América in 2011.
Aguilar was the first-choice right-back at the beginning of the 2010 World Cup for El Tri, and has retained his role in the 2014 Brazil edition of the classic world football tournament.
An attack-minded defender who likes to bomb forward, Aguilar has played well for Mexico so far in World Cup 2014.
Francisco Javier Rodríguez (Kit Number 2)
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Francisco Javier Rodriguez, commonly known as ‘Maza’, is one of the key players for El Tri.
Rodriguez made his debut for Liga MX side Guadalajara, before spending time in Europe at PSV Eindhoven and Stuttgart.
The 32-year-old center back moved back to Mexico in 2013 to join América, before transferring to Cruz Azul in 2014.
Having accrued considerable experience of European football prior to his well-timed return to Mexico to join domestic heavyweights Club America.
Rafael Márquez (Kit Number 4)
(Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Rafael Márquez is the first player to captain his national side to four successive editions of the World Cup.
The greatly influential veteran has over 100 senior caps for El Tri, and has experienced club success with FC Barcelona, with four La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies and the FIFA Club World Cup counted in his achievements.
Marquez later moved to the New York Red Bulls in 2010, and finally returned to his homeland after 13 years playing abroad with León.
El Gran Capitán would aid León in winning the Mexican championship in 2014, an impressive feat considering that the Mexican side had barely won promotion 18 months ago.
Hector Moreno (Kit Number 15)
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Moreno is part of Mexico’s famoust “Golden Generation” that won the 2005 FIFA Under 17 World Cup in Peru.
A key part of the Mexican backline, Moreno is also a favorite among fans at European clubs AZ Alkmaar, where he played for four years, as well as his current team Espanyol, which he joined in 2011. Monero was even Espanyol’s Player of the Year in the 2011/2012 season.
The center back is a great man marker, is comfortable with the ball at his feet, and is strong in the air.
Miguel Layun (Kit Number 7)
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Left-back Miguel Layun started out his career at Mexican second division side Veracruz in 2007, before moving to Serie A side Atalanta two years later at the age of 21.
Barely six months later, Layun would find himself back in Mexico, first on loan to América, then later on a permanent deal.
Although he didn’t play well initially and was made fun off on social media — Layun inspired the harsh tag #TodoEsCulpaDeLayun (Every Thing is Layun’s Fault) — Águilas fans eventually took to him after his convinced them with his pace, long-range shooting, and excellent passing skills.
Layun was influential in America’s Clausura 2013 win, as he scored the penalty that gave them the title, and is a crucial player for El Tri today.
Hector Herrera (Kit Number 6)
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Herrera started his career with Pachuca in 2011, and eventually was named the best player of the 2012 Toulon Tournament.
The 24-year-old also performed brilliantly for El Tri at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in 2012, aiding his side to the gold.
One of the better central midfielders Mexico has produced in while, Herrera is at ease in possession, is tactically disciplined, and can play either as a box-to-box midfielder or a holding role.
In 2013, Herrera moved to Portugal to play for Porto, where he is a mainstay for the team.
At the 2014 World Cup, Herrera continues to put in solid displays, and is one of the better Mexican players in the squad.
Jose Juan Vazquez (Kit Number 23)
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Jose Juan Vazquez is a short (164 cm), tough, uncompromising defensive midfielder that has played his way into the Mexican national squad.
El Gallito (The Little Rooster) marks tightly and is a skilled ball-winner, and was instrumental in aiding Leon’s rise from the Liga MX second division all the way to claiming the Mexican title in 2014
Known as El Gallito (The Little Rooster) because of his mohawk hair style, Jose Juan Vazquez is an uncompromising defensive midfielder who played a fundamental part in Leon’s recent rise from second-division obscurity to the Mexican title.
Though only 164cm tall, Vazquez is as tough as they come and fights for every ball. Capable of maintaining his intensity over 90 minutes, thanks to his powerful legs, the indefatigable midfielder is also the tightest of markers and a skilled ball-winner.
Given his success in recent years, it is no wonder El Tri coach Miguel Herrera has selected him for the squad.
Andres Guardado (Kit number 18)
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Andres Guardado is probably one of the most internationally experienced players in the Mexican squad, having played for Atlas, Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia, and Bayer Leverkusen over 9 years.
The left winger has also been one of the mainstays for El Tri, providing great attacking talent with his speed and dribbling skills.
El Principito (little prince) will be looking to make a much greater impact in the 2014 World Cup, as a drop in form in the 2010 World Cup saw he relegated to the bench for Mexico.
Giovani Dos Santos (Kit Number 10)
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The talented play maker has won plenty for Mexico, picking up the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in 2005, the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in London 2012, and was voted the third best young player at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
However, dos Santos has been struggling to replicate his Mexico form at the club level, and has been shuttled from club to club as a result.
At the age of 24, dos Santos has already played for Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, Racing Santander, and Mallorca.
It was only at Villareal where dos Santos found some form of consistency, scoring 11 goals and 8 assists, en-route to helping his club secure 6th place in the La Liga for the 2013/2014 season.
Dos Santos has continued his remarkable country form in the 2014 World Cup, although officially, it doesn’t seem to be the case. The forward had two legitimate goals wrong ruled offside against Cameroon. Otherwise, the forward’s general play has been excellent thus far.
Oribe Peralta (Kit Number 19)
(Michael Steele/Getty Images)
El Cepillo (The Brush) is one of the more popular players in Mexican football today.
Peralta rose to prominence after scoring the two goals that clinched the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament gold medal in London 2012.
Most recently, Peralta scored the goal that saw Mexico beat Cameroon 1-0, and take away a crucial 3 points.
The 30-year-old forward has also secured a lucrative move to América from Santos Laguna in 2014, and has continued to play well for Mexico in the 2014 World Cup.
Javier Hernandez (Kit Number 14)
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Being a Manchester United player, ’Chicharito‘ is probably the most famous Mexican player today.
Hernandez is mostly utilized as a substitute striker at Old Trafford, even though he is rather prolific at the international level, having scored 30 goals in 46 international games.
Thus far in World Cup 2014, Chicharito has failed to deliver the goods, and needs to be more clinical in front of goal if he is to smash the all-time record of El Tri’s legendary scorer Jared Borgetti.
Borgetti has 42 international goals.
Still, Hernandez is only mid-way in this footballing career, and should stand a chance of being Mexico’s all-time top scorer.
