The Mexican National Team kicked off the year with a piece of news that set the alarm bells ringing: Gilberto Mora, a young Xolos de Tijuana player, was left out of the squad for January’s friendly matches due to physical problems detected during his arrival at the training camp.
According to official information, Mora did not continue with the working group after the medical examination carried out by the National Team staff. The report determined that the player was not in optimal conditions to remain in the squad, so the decision was made to return him to his club to continue with the treatment under specialized supervision.
Disruptions from the start of the Clausura 2026
The statement also explained that the discomfort had been present since the first days of the Clausura 2026 in Liga MX.
For this reason, it was agreed with Xolos that Gilberto Mora should prioritize his recovery to avoid a major injury at the most important moment of the World Cup cycle.
This is not a minor issue for Mexico, as Mora is considered one of the most promising players in the national soccer.
In the 2026 Clausura, the youngster had already shown signs of discomfort:
He missed the Day 2 match against Querétaro and in Day 3 against San Luis he was unable to complete the match, which reinforced the idea of not risking him.
Who replaces him?
In the absence of Gilberto Mora, Javier “Vasco” Aguirre made an immediate adjustment and called up Alexis Gutiérrez, a midfielder from Club América, as a replacement.
Gutiérrez has played an important role with the Águilas at the start of the tournament, starting the first few games of the Clausura 2026.
This facilitated his call-up to a call-up comprised solely of Liga MX players.
With this move, América now has four representatives in the Tricolor:
Luis Ángel Malagón, Israel Reyes, Ramón Juárez and now Alexis Gutiérrez, reinforcing the Azulcrema presence in this stretch of preparation.
The young soccer player had already shown signs of discomfort
QuéOnnda.com
El Tri’s matches in January
Mexico will continue its preparation schedule for the 2026 World Cup with two friendlies:
On January 22 against Panama in Panama City and on January 25 against Bolivia in Santa Cruz.
For Hispanic fans in the United States, these games are a great opportunity to follow El Tri’s progress.
In addition to observing which Liga MX players can earn a real place in the final roster for the World Cup.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
