Gio dos Santos is back with the Mexican National Team. On Thursday, El Tri announced the squad for the upcoming friendlies against New Zealand and Panama and the LA Galaxy attacker made the cut. He last played for Mexico at the 2015 Gold Cup and turned down the chance to represent Mexico at the Copa América Centenario, according to ESPN.
Gio – who has hoped for a national team recall for a while and whose form in the MLS certainly warrants his inclusion – quickly took to Twitter to express his gratitude.
The call up gives him a chance to reunite on the field with his brother, Jonathan dos Santos, with whom he came up in Barcelona’s youth system and later briefly joined forces with at Villareal.
Chicharito did not get called up to the squad, but neither were many of the other established players. This gives under-fire manager Juan Carlos Osorio the opportunity to assess his options and gives players a chance to stand out ahead of the final round of World Cup Qualifying, which kicks off in November against the United States.