Mexico soccer coach recalls star player Marquez

Mexico soccer coach recalls star player Marquez

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 1 -- Mexico's soccer coach has called up star player Rafael Marquez for a second time as part of the nation's World Cup bid and called up two new players Enrique Esqueda, of Mexico City team America, and Omar Arrellano, from Guadalajara.

Coach Javier Aguirre announced on Thursday a list of 20 players who will start training on Monday for Oct. 10's match against El Salvador in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium and for Oct. 14's away game against Trinidad and Tobago -- games considered so important that Mexico has suspended regular league activity until Oct. 16.

Marquez, who plays defense for Spanish league giant Barcelona and captains Mexico, missed one game against the United States due to injury, and the games against Costa Rica and Honduras because of a red card in a different U.S. game.

Esqueda and Arellano, both forwards, had been called up for Wednesday's friendly with Colombia, which the South American team won 2-1.

An unusual omission from this list is Neri Castillo, a celebrity midfielder who plays for Ukraine league team Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

The full list is as follows:

1. Francisco Guillermo Ochoa, goalkeeper, America

2. Jose de Jesus Corona, goalkeeper, Cruz Azul.

3. Efrain Juarez Valdez, defender, UNAM

4. Rafael Marquez Alvarez, defender, Barcelona

5. Jose Jonny Magallon Oliva, defender Guadalajara

6. Carlos Arnoldo Salcido, defender, PSV Eindhoven

7. Ricardo Osorio Mendoza, defender, Stuttgart

8. Hector Moreno Herrera, defender, AZ Alkmaar

9. Jose Antonio Castro, defender, Tigres

10. Oscar Adrian Rojas, defender, America

11. Gerardo Torrado, midfielder, Cruz Azul

12. Israel Castro Macias, midfielder, UNAM

13. Jose Andres Guardado, midfielder, La Coruna

14. Pablo Edson Barrera, midfielder, UNAM

15. Cuauhtemoc Blanco Bravo, forward, Chicago Fire

16. Guillermo Luis Franco forward, West Ham United

17. Miguel Sabah Rodriguez, forward, Monarcas

18. Carlos Alberto Vela, forward, Arsenal

19. Enrique Alejandro Esqueda, forward, America

20. Omar Arellano Riveron, forward, Guadalajara
(Xinhua)