Rafael Márquez has the first change to his Mexico squad. The Mexican federation announced Monday that Club América midfielder Alan Cervantes is out of the September and October FIFA window squad with a muscle issue, and fellow América player Isaías Violante will report to the national team camp at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) starting Monday instead of joining the group later in New Jersey.
What happened
The Dirección Deportiva de Selecciones Nacionales confirmed the move in a statement released Monday morning, September 21: “Alan Cervantes, jugador del Club América, causa baja de la convocatoria de la Selección Nacional de México debido a una molestia muscular.”
The federation gave no detail on the severity of the problem and set no timeline for his recovery.
In his place, Violante, who was already part of the 30-man squad and had been scheduled to link up with the team in New Jersey, will instead join the camp and the training sessions at the CAR starting Monday. His early arrival is a change to the schedule, not an emergency call-up.
The injury traces back to Saturday’s Clásico Nacional. Cervantes started for América against Chivas and came off early in the second half with the muscle problem that has now cost him his national team place.
Context
The withdrawal is the first change to Márquez’s first squad since the 30-man list was announced on September 17, and it comes just days before his debut on the bench: Mexico faces Colombia on Saturday, September 26 in Baltimore.
For Cervantes, the timing is cruel. The América midfielder had earned his way back into the national team picture, with his last appearance coming in June 2023, when he played 90 minutes in a 2-0 friendly win over Guatemala.
He joins a growing absentee list for the start of the Márquez era. Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones were already unavailable with physical problems when the squad was announced.
Mexico’s FIFA window includes four friendlies: Colombia on September 26 in Baltimore, Peru on September 29 in New Jersey, the United States on October 3 in Arizona, and Chile on October 6 in Los Angeles.
What comes next
Violante will train at the CAR from Monday under Márquez and his staff, giving the young América player a full week with the group before the Colombia friendly. His early arrival also means he will miss América’s Jornada 10 visit to Necaxa on September 27. Cervantes, meanwhile, returns to his club’s medical staff to begin his recovery, with no return date set.
