Aguirre eliminates Ochoa, Jiménez and Lozano from Mexico's first nomination

The new head coach of the Mexican national team, Javier Aguirre, has excluded experienced players such as Guillermo Ochoa, Raúl Jiménez and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano from his initial 26-man selection for the Mexican national team.

The call-up was announced on Thursday for the upcoming friendlies against New Zealand on September 7 (at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California) and Canada on September 10 (at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas), and marks another absence of the aforementioned high-profile players who were not previously included in the Copa América squad.

Highlights from Aguirre's initial list include key figures such as Feyenoord star striker Santiago Giménez, Club América goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón, Almería defender César Montes and up-and-coming Tigres winger Marcelo Flores.

West Ham midfielder Edson Álvarez, another well-known European name missing from Aguirre's squad, is currently on the road to full recovery after recovering from injury.

Twenty-five of the 26 players have already been called up to the national team, leaving Spanish-born Athletic Club goalkeeper Álex Padilla as the only member of the squad who will represent Mexico for the first time in the senior national team.

Preparations for the September friendlies begin with a training camp starting this Sunday.

For Aguirre, September's matches will be the first in his third career with the national team, having previously coached them in 2001-02 and 2009-10.

Aguirre and his men will then face the US national team in a friendly match in Mexico at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara on October 15.

Mexican sporting director Duilio Davino told ESPN last week that “the door was never closed” for veteran players recently excluded from the Copa América, and noted that there was “progress” in talks with Valencia about a friendly between the country and a club in October before the USMNT game.

Mexico's 26-man squad for September

Goalkeepers: Luis Ángel Malagón (Club America), Raul Rangel (Chivas), Alex Padilla (Athletic Bilbao)

Defenders: Julián Araujo (Bournemouth), Alan Mozo (Chivas), Israel Reyes (Club America), Cesar Montes (Almeria), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Víctor Guzmán (Monterrey), Jesús Angulo (Tigres), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca)

Midfielders: Luis Romo (Cruz Azul), Fidel Ambriz (Monterrey), Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow), Sebastián Córdova (Tigres), Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens)

Forwards: Diego Lainez (Tigres), Julián Quiñones (Al Qadsiah), Roberto Alvarado (Chivas), Marcelo Flores (Tigres), César Huerta (Pumas), Guillermo Martínez (Pumas), Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord), Henry Martín (Club America ). )