Funes Mori spearheads Mexico attack for Gold Cup

MEXICO CITY -- Argentina-born forward Rogelio Funes Mori is set to lead Mexico's attack at the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup after head coach Gerardo Martino left out Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on Thursday.

Funes Mori, who became a naturalized citizen of Mexico last month, was one of 14 locally based players named in El Tri's squad for the continental tournament, to be played in the United States from July 10 to Aug 1.

The 30-year-old has been one of the most prolific scorers in Mexican football since joining Monterrey in 2015, netting 122 times in 244 appearances.

He heads a relatively inexperienced attack for the Gold Cup, with only Hirving Lozano and Jesus Corona having made more than 20 international appearances.

Missing from Martino's 23-man list was injured midfielder Andres Guardado and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who will be representing Mexico at the Tokyo Olympics.

But it was the continued absence of 33-year-old LA Galaxy striker Chicharito, Mexico's record scorer with 52 goals in 109 matches, that was the most glaring omission.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star last played for the national team in September 2019, having reportedly fallen out of favor with Martino because of indiscipline.

Mexico have been drawn in Group A of the Gold Cup alongside Curacao, El Salvador and a fourth team that has yet to be decided.