It was a weekend of sharp contrasts for Mexico’s European contingent. Johan Vásquez went from two-goal hero to suspended spectator, scoring against Frosinone and Südtirol before missing Genoa’s defeat at Parma. Armando “Hormiga” González opened his European account in continental competition. Santiago Giménez scored his first Porto goal, then watched the Clássico from the bench. Raúl Jiménez, the 35-year-old striker, hurt his knee four days before the Black Country derby. And Edson Álvarez, once the national team’s midfield anchor, appeared on neither a matchday squad list nor Rafael Márquez’s first El Tri roster.
The timing gives every storyline extra weight. Márquez named his first 30-man Mexico squad on September 17 for friendlies against Colombia, Peru, the United States and Chile, and most of the players below will report to camp this week.
Santiago Giménez, Porto: Benched for the Clássico After His First Goal
Eight days after ending his goal drought, Giménez watched the biggest league match of Porto’s season from the substitutes’ bench. Porto beat Benfica 3-1 in the Clássico at the Estádio do Dragão on September 20, with André Silva starting at striker and Giménez an unused substitute.
The contrast with the previous weekend could hardly be starker. On September 12, the striker came on in the 62nd minute at Casa Pia, won a penalty himself and converted it in the 90th minute of added time to seal a 4-1 win. It was his first goal since joining Porto on loan from AC Milan on August 31, ending a 354-day scoring drought and marking the 100th goal of his professional career, according to O Jogo via OneFootball.
Raúl Jiménez, Wolves: Cruel Injury Timing Before the Derby
Seven days after coming off the bench to score a 90th-minute winner at Sheffield United, the 35-year-old was substituted seven minutes before half-time of Wolves’ Carabao Cup defeat at Everton on September 16 with a knee injury, and missed the Black Country derby against West Bromwich Albion on September 20. Wolves won 1-0 without him through Fer López’s 50th-minute goal.
Manager César Peixoto told BBC Radio WM: “Raul has injured his knee. It is not too bad. But we are all frustrated because he is a key player for us.” He confirmed the striker will be out for a few weeks, calling the timing of the international break helpful.
The veteran striker is sidelined, and the injury also kept him out of Márquez’s first Mexico squad. Wolves and El Tri both move on without him for now.
Armando “Hormiga” González, Olympiacos: First European Goal, Then a Late Cameo
González’s European adventure keeps trending upward. On September 16, the former Chivas striker scored his first goal in European competition, finishing a rebound from close range in Olympiacos’ Europa League match against Jagiellonia Białystok, per USA Today. Four days later, he came on in the 76th minute of a 1-0 Greek Super League win at Levadiakos, snatched through Manolis Saliakas’ header in the second minute of added time.
The 23-year-old had already scored three Greek Cup goals before the midweek breakthrough, according to USA Today, and his adaptation since leaving Guadalajara has been fast. Named in Márquez’s first El Tri squad, he heads to camp after a week in which he scored on the continent and contributed to a league win.
Johan Vásquez, Genoa: Two Goals in a Week, Then a Suspension
Vásquez packed a season’s worth of drama into eight days. On September 12, he scored a 50th-minute equalizer against Frosinone, a right-footed volley from a corner assisted by Djibril Sow, to earn Genoa their first point of the season after three straight defeats. Then he was sent off in the 86th minute, a second yellow for a tactical foul after an earlier booking for dissent.
Three days later, he wrote the perfect cup response. Vásquez came off the bench in the 80th minute against Südtirol in the Coppa Italia on September 15 and headed home David Puczka’s cross in the 87th minute, sealing a 1-0 victory that sent Genoa through to the Round of 16, where Inter await.
The red card then caught up with him. The suspension kept him out of Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Parma, a relegation six-pointer Genoa could not afford to lose. The club sits 19th in Serie A with one point from five rounds. Vásquez, the only Mexican senior men’s first-team player in Serie A this season, is available again after the international break. He was also called into Márquez’s squad, giving him a national team stage while his club situation remains tense.
Edson Álvarez, West Ham: Frozen Out and Left Out of El Tri
The most sobering entry of the weekend belongs to Álvarez. He was not in the matchday squad at all as West Ham drew 2-2 at Millwall on September 19, and he was not named in Márquez’s first Mexico squad either. USA Today noted his absence from the roster alongside the fact that he played in all but one of Mexico’s World Cup matches.
Off the field, Álvarez has categorically denied an accusation by documentary producer Juan José López Ordóñez that he was involved in an alleged 2024 kidnapping in Mexico, and says he is considering legal action over the claims, per ESPN.
Mateo Chávez, AZ Alkmaar: Another Full 90
Quieter, but exactly what a young fullback’s progress should look like. Mateo Chávez started at left back and played the full match as AZ Alkmaar beat SC Telstar 1-0 at home on September 20, helping keep a clean sheet. It was another complete Eredivisie performance in a season in which he is becoming an increasingly established piece of AZ’s defense, and he was rewarded with a place in Márquez’s first El Tri squad.
Rodrigo Huescas, FC Copenhagen: Back in Training After a Year Out
The most encouraging news of the weekend involved no minutes at all. Huescas has resumed full training with FC Copenhagen after nearly a year out with a severe knee injury, a genuine milestone for the 22-year-old who missed almost the entire 2025-26 season. He was not in the squad for Copenhagen’s 1-0 win at Brøndby on September 20, but the club’s plan points toward availability after the international breaks. For a player who was Mexico’s right-back hope before the injury, the comeback now has a concrete horizon.
Other Mexicans in Europe
Julián Araujo remains sidelined at Bournemouth after left thigh surgery on August 6, sustained during the club’s preseason tour of Austria. Manager Marco Rose told Sky Sports the defender is eyeing a November return, per RotoWire. Bournemouth lost 0-1 to Liverpool on September 20.
Luis Chávez had no fixture this weekend, but started Dynamo Moscow’s 3-0 win at Rostov on September 17, playing 68 minutes in midfield. He is in the El Tri squad.
César Montes also had no fixture in the window. The Lokomotiv Moscow center back has three appearances, all starts, this season, and he too was called up by Márquez.
In Spain, all three Mexicans were unused substitutes: Álvaro Fidalgo as Real Betis drew 1-1 at Deportivo La Coruña, Obed Vargas as Atlético de Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1 in El Derbi, and Álex Padilla as Athletic Club drew 0-0 with Alavés. All three are in the Mexico squad.
What Comes Next
The international break now takes over. Mexico face Colombia on September 26 in Baltimore, Peru on September 29 in New Jersey, the United States on October 3 in Phoenix and Chile on October 6 in Los Angeles, and the European-based players in this roundup will spend the week pressing their cases with Márquez.
For the clubs, the pause comes at useful moments. Jiménez gets recovery time without missing league matches. Vásquez returns from suspension when Serie A resumes. Giménez gets a week to reset before returning to a striker competition at Porto that his first goal has not yet settled.
