Gerardo Martino’s decision of removing Guillermo Ochoa from his lineup after he learned that he’ll move to MLS

After a first half of the season where Guillermo Ochoa became one of the players that mistook the most with both Club América and Mexico National Team, he has returned to having the high-level performances that made him the starting goalkeeper of El Tri.

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Ochoa finished the CONCACAF Qualifiers with five straight clean sheets, something he’s kept doing with Club América since Fernando “Tano” Ortíz took over, as he now has four straight clean sheets in Clausura 2022 after only keeping his goal in zero one time with Santiago Solari.

But despite his recent outstanding performances, Ochoa still hasn’t started negotiating with Club América for a contract extension, as he’s on his last year of contract and is considering leaving El Nido at the end of the season.

According to reports from Sancadilla, Guillermo Ochoa already has received two offers to join the MLS for the 2023 MLS Season, once his contract with América expires in December, although the decision could hurt his aspirations to arrive at Qatar 2022 as the starting goalkeeper.

Martino could start a different goalkeeper if he joins the MLS

Gerardo “Tata” Martino knows that the Mexican national team needs to improve their performances if they want to be able to compete against Poland and Argentina in the group stage of the World Cup, as they couldn’t establish conditions in the Qualifiers.

But he knows that the only way they’re going to make it is if the players, especially the ones considered to be part of the starting XI, continue playing at a top level, something that won’t happen if they leave their current leagues to arrive to lower-level leagues like MLS.

Ochoa, 36, considers that his departure to MLS would mean to prioritize the economic over the sporting side, as well as giving his family more security and better opportunities for the future, even if it means losing his place in El Tri’s starting XI.

Who can take his place?

Martino has a list of five goalkeepers he’s considering for Qatar 2022, with Ochoa at the top and followed by Rodolfo Cota, Alfredo Talavera, Jonathan Orozco and Carlos Acevedo. It’s yet to be seen which of them ends up missing the World Cup, but his replacement will be someone out of the remainder three.

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