By Jon Arnold
The future of Mexico’s midfield is on display in the Leagues Cup.
Everyone is talking about Tijuana attacker Gilberto Mora, who became the youngest player ever to start and win a continental final at the Gold Cup, getting named in Javier Aguirre’s XI for the third match in a row as Mexico overcame the United States for a 2-1 win in Houston.
But Mora isn’t the only Mexico prospect standing out this summer. He will clash Wednesday with Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas, who celebrated his 20th birthday Tuesday. Add in the contributions Pachuca has received from Elías Montiel and what Toluca is getting from Marcel Ruiz, who also contributed to Mexico’s Gold Cup title run, and it’s clear that El Tri fans should be focused on the middle of the park.
Still, Mora has stolen the headlines because of his youth and the fact that he’s the most attacking of the players. Already, he bagged a double in Xolos’ opening match of Leagues Cup and created a pair of chances in a win over the Colorado Rapids.
Christian Roldan, Vargas’ midfield partner with the Seattle Sounders, feels his teammate is deserving of the same type of hype his international teammate is getting - and hopes they can quiet the rising star in Wednesday’s contest.
“Obed probably has a little bit of motivation to show that he’s at that level, but we all believe it, we all see it. Obed and I will be a strong pairing as always, make things difficult,” Roldan said. “The kid is talented. Don’t get me wrong. He’s shown his quality in this tournament, shown his quality with the national team and in Liga MX. It’s a group effort, right? We always talk about it being not just one individual to shut down a player, it’s the entire team.”
Vargas, however, doesn’t see a rivalry with Mora. In fact, the two are somewhat close, having roomed together during a U-20 camp.
“I get along with him super well and was super happy to see him. I feel like he’s kind of changing the mindset in Mexico and the Mexico national team, putting more trust into the young guys” Vargas told MLSsoccer.com this summer after an All-Star Game training session. “That’s only going to help us other young guys that are doing really well in the Mexican league and MLS, that they start to trust us more, give us more opportunities. That’s great on him that he’s opening the doors for us and challenging old ways.”
The midfield refresh could come as soon as next summer for Mexico. Ruiz’s club teammate Hector Herrera started a pair of El Tri’s 2022 World Cup matches, while Andres Guardado started one. Herrera hasn’t played for the national team since shortly after, while Guardado reiterated this week that he is retired. Luis Chavez also played a major role but is currently recovering from an ACL injury suffered during the Gold Cup.
Edson Alvarez, only 27 and currently playing with West Ham United, almost certainly will form the base, but Vargas, Ruiz and Montiel all could play in front of him with Mora as either a No. 10 or in a more attacking midfield role.
Alvarez always has been a player who looks to be in the same mold as legendary Mexico midfielder Rafa Marquez. The new crop of Mexico midfielders showing out during Leagues Cup contests play in a different way, more akin to what Guardado or Herrera or even Alberto Garcia Aspe before them.
All the players can do a bit of everything, required more in the modern game. While Montiel excels when asked to win the ball back, he showed against LAFC that he is happy to score a goal as well. It’s becoming a habit of his to score in big games. Montiel scored against Real Madrid at the Club World Cup, Vargas, too, has a Leagues Cup goal to his name - chipping into the avalanche of Sounders goals in a 7-0 win over Cruz Azul.
As Aguirre watches Leagues Cup, it’s becoming clear there are options in the middle not only available to him but to his likely successor Marquez going into the 2030 World Cup and beyond. Mora, Vargas, Montiel and Ruiz, though, likely have several more Leagues Cup tournaments to play before that.
