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GOALGilberto Mora takes the No. 10, Chucky Lozano gets another chance: Five storylines as Rafael Marquez begins Mexico’s road to 2030
Rafael Marquez begins his tenure in Baltimore, but his real destination is 2030.
Mexico finished ninth at its home World Cup, won a knockout match for the first time in 40 years and restored a bond with its supporters. Now comes the harder question: How much of that progress can El Tri carry beyond the tournament that brought it together?
Marquez knows the team from his time as Javier Aguirre’s assistant. His first camp gives him four matches to begin putting his own ideas into practice, starting against Colombia on Sept. 26 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Mexico then faces Peru on Sept. 29 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, the United States on Oct. 3 in Glendale, Arizona, and Chile on Oct. 6 in Los Angeles.
Juanma Lillo and Andres Guardado join him as assistants alongside Vidal Paloma, with Xabier Mancisidor coaching the goalkeepers.
Marquez has pointed to the 2-0 World Cup win over Ecuador as an example of what Mexico can produce. Gilberto Mora did not score that day, but his influence on the ball helped give El Tri control. Whether Mexico can play with that assurance more consistently is the question running through this first camp.
Will Marquez turn to a three-man defense?
Sports Press PhotoWith Mexico's quality in center back, new manager Rafa Marquez might elect to go with a back three.
Colombia offers an unforgiving first examination. The last meeting ended in a 4-0 Mexico defeat in Arlington, Texas, in October 2025. Nestor Lorenzo has called up another strong squad, including Athletico Paranaense forward Kevin Viveros. Marquez must decide how Mexico can protect itself against Colombia’s movement without sacrificing its ability to build attacks.
He has lived that balance before. Under Ricardo La Volpe, Marquez became the organizer of a flexible Mexico side that often used three defenders. At the 2005 Confederations Cup, La Volpe’s team beat Brazil and reached the semifinals. The following year, Marquez captained El Tri at the World Cup and scored the opener against Argentina before Mexico lost in extra time. Those teams could play out of defense and change shape as a match demanded.
A back three would allow Marquez to revisit that approach, though it remains a possibility rather than a declared plan. Johan Vazquez, Luis Romo, Cesar Montes and Israel Reyes provide an experienced foundation, with Victor Guzman and Everardo Lopez offering further options. Diego Campillo joins after Chivas’ next league match.
The Colombia game will offer the first evidence of how Marquez wants his defenders to position themselves and, just as crucially, what he expects them to do with the ball.
Gilberto Mora inherits Mexico’s No. 10
aal.photoMora's vast potential and strong performances so far have resulted in him getting El Tri's iconic No. 10 shirt.
Mora is 17 and has been given Mexico’s No. 10 shirt. Its weight is obvious, even for a player who looked at ease during the World Cup. The question is less whether he can handle another layer of expectation than whether Marquez can put him in the right positions to make a difference.
Lillo could play an important role in that development. He has praised Andres Iniesta’s understanding of the game and explained his belief that good attacking football begins with how a team plays out from the back. For Mora, the useful lesson is how to read the game one move ahead, rather than how to imitate Iniesta.
Roberto “Piojo” Alvarado, another player capable of connecting midfield to attack, is available throughout the camp. Getting both involved would give Mexico more ways to create without asking Mora to carry that responsibility alone.
Chucky Lozano gets another chance
NurPhotoIt's been a rough year for Lozano, but Marquez is giving him a chance in a bold move.
Raul Jimenez and Julian Quiñones are absent through injury. Their missing firepower creates opportunities, but Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano’s return is more than a response to two empty places on the roster. It is Marquez’s first notable bet on a player whose standing with El Tri has changed.
Lozano’s winner against Germany in 2018 remains one of Mexico’s defining World Cup moments of the past decade. He also played at the 2022 tournament but missed the 2026 World Cup after a lack of club playing time. Now 31 and with LA Galaxy, he has a chance to show Marquez and former teammate Guardado what he can still offer.
His pace and directness could change a match from the bench. Lozano, though, may see this camp as a chance to win back a starting role. How he responds to whichever role Marquez gives him could matter as much as his attacking output, with Nations League matches approaching in November and the Gold Cup set for next summer.
Camberos and Sandoval bring Chivas’ youth movement to El Tri
ZUMA Press WireThere are an impressive six Chivas players on El Tri's fall friendly roster.
Six Chivas players are on Marquez’s roster: Raul Rangel, Alvarado, Romo, Campillo, Hugo Camberos and Santiago Sandoval. Rangel and Alvarado are available for the entire camp. The other four join after Guadalajara’s Liga MX match on Sept. 26, meaning Camberos and Sandoval must wait until the Peru game for a possible appearance.
The two young attackers arrive with different recent returns. Sandoval, 19, has three goals in the Apertura 2026, including two against Pumas earlier this month. Camberos, also 19, has one assist and is still looking for his first league goal of the campaign, but was among the standouts in Mexico’s victorious Concacaf U20 Championship run. Their call-ups reward promise as well as current production.
Marquez has spoken about preparing young players to reach the senior team with better tools. This camp gives him a chance to see how quickly Sandoval and Camberos can adapt to its demands. With Jimenez and Quiñones missing, there is an immediate need for more ways to create and finish chances, too.
How quickly can Juanma Lillo make his mark?
APLMexico are hoping Lillo’s experience and ties to Pep Guardiola will help introduce a more proactive style of attack for the team.
Lillo’s appointment invites expectations of a more proactive Mexico, but his influence should be judged by what the team does on the field. His reputation as a mentor to Pep Guardiola provides context: He coached Guardiola at Dorados de Sinaloa and later served on his Manchester City staff. He also brings international experience, having worked alongside Jorge Sampaoli with Chile.
His view of Mexican football offers a clearer clue to what he might contribute. Lillo has praised Liga MX teams for trying to advance the ball from deep and argued that an organized buildup also helps a side defend. Marquez has brought him back to Mexico to help put those ideas into practice with the national team.
Baltimore will show only the beginning. Across four matches, the more telling measure will be whether Mexico starts to develop a recognizable way to control games and create chances.
Marquez inherits a team with momentum. His first task is to give it a method that lasts.