Dual nationals from the United States and Mexico, Richard Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez, received their first senior national team call-ups from Mexico on Thursday in preparation for friendlies against Panama on January 22 and Bolivia on January 25.
The Chivas teammates have previously played for the USMNT at both youth and senior levels, and this call-up to El Tri suggests a potential change in allegiance as Mexico prepares for its World Cup opener against South Africa on June 11.
To be eligible for selection by manager Javier Aguirre for the upcoming World Cup this summer, both players will need to initiate a one-time switch to transfer federations as mandated by FIFA. A source has confirmed to ESPN that Ledezma’s next step will be to file for this switch, while another source indicated that Gutiérrez is committed to playing for Mexico without detailing his current progress in the switch process.
Speculation regarding their potential switch to Mexico intensified following their recent transfer to Liga MX club Chivas, which typically requires Mexican citizenship for its players. Nonetheless, the team has also included players representing other national teams.
As the upcoming friendlies fall on a non-FIFA date, the 27-man roster lacks several notable European-based players, including Fulham‘s Raúl Jiménez, Genoa‘s Johan Vásquez, and Celtic’s Julián Araujo, among others. Instead, the squad consists entirely of Liga MX players, along with the Seattle Sounders’ Obed Vargas, a dual-national who previously played for the U.S. youth national team and returned to El Tri after his second cap for Mexico last November.
Beyond Ledezma and Gutiérrez, there are other potential debutants including Eduardo Aguila from Atlético San Luis, Everardo Lopez from Toluca, Iker Fimbres from Monterrey, and Kevin Castañeda from Club Tijuana, who are all vying for their first senior international appearances.
Teenage sensation and Club Tijuana talent Gilberto Mora is also part of the squad, aiming to make an impact after his breakout performances for Mexico in 2025.
Full Mexico roster for January friendlies
Goalkeepers: Ángel Malagón – América; Raúl Rangel – Chivas; Carlos Acevedo – Santos Laguna.
Defenders: Richard Ledezma – Chivas; Jorge Sánchez – Cruz Azul; Víctor Guzmán – Monterrey; Israel Reyes – América; Ramón Juárez – América; Eduardo Águila – Atlético de San Luis; Everardo López – Toluca; Jesús Gallardo – Toluca; Bryan González – Chivas.
Midfielders: Luis Romo – Chivas; Erik Lira – Cruz Azul; Denzell García – FC Juárez; Diego Lainez – Tigres; Roberto Alvarado – Chivas; Iker Fimbres – Monterrey; Carlos Rodríguez – Cruz Azul; Kevin Castañeda – Xolos; Obed Vargas – Seattle Sounders; Marcel Ruiz – Toluca; Brian Gutiérrez – Chivas; Gilberto Mora – Xolos.
Forwards: Ángel Sepúlveda – Chivas; Germán Berterame – Monterrey; Armando González – Chivas.