Rafael Márquez, head coach of Mexico’s national soccer team, wasn’t about to miss the country’s biggest club rivalry. Despite the surprise exit of his fitness trainer, Pol Lorente, just days earlier, Márquez slipped quietly into Estadio Banorte to watch the Clásico between América and Chivas, two of Mexico’s most storied clubs.
It wasn’t the first time. Márquez made a similarly low-key appearance the previous week at the Clásico Joven, another marquee matchup in Mexican soccer. His presence at these games isn’t about entertainment — it’s scouting. The coach is building a new national team as part of a long-term project aimed at the 2030 World Cup, and he wanted eyes on the nine players from both clubs he has already summoned for an upcoming tour of the United States.
América fielded defender Israel Reyes, who was honored before kickoff for reaching 150 appearances with the club, along with midfielder Alan Cervantes. Fellow national-team call-up Isaías Violante started the match on the bench. On the Chivas side, six players tied to the senior national team took the field from the start, including goalkeeper Raúl ‘Tala’ Rangel, Diego Campillo, Roberto ‘Piojo’ Alvarado, and Luis Romo, plus one more youth-team player brought along as a training partner.
Want the full lineup and match details? Check out the original report from Excélsior.
Source: <![CDATA[Rafa Márquez, presente en el Clásico de México para ver a sus seleccionados]]> (RSS::excelsior.com.mx – Portada).
Image: Lawrie Cate, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).