Something old, something new for Mexican soccer team

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Seemingly ageless Cuauhtemoc Blanco and fellow international veterans Gerardo Torrado and Braulio Luna top a mostly young and inexperienced roster selected Thursday for Mexico’s first World Cup tuneup next week in San Francisco.

Blanco, 37, has played in 107 matches with the national team while Torrado, 30, has 105 caps and the 35-year-old Luna 21. That’s more international experience than the rest of the roster combined. But then Coach Javier Aguirre limited his selections to players currently on Mexican teams, ignoring likely World Cup picks such as Giovani Dos Santos, currently playing for Turkey’s Galatasaray; Andres Guardado, who is with Spain’s La Coruna; and at least half a dozen others who are playing throughout Europe.

As a result, Wednesday’s match with Bolivia at Candlestick Park will give Aguirre a chance to see a handful of rising stars, including Javier Hernandez, who has eight goals in five games for unbeaten Chivas in Mexico’s Primera Division. Hernandez, 21, has played just once previously on the national team. Also called up were Club America forwards Enrique Esqueda, 21, Angel Reyna, 25, and 26-year-old Aldo De Nigris of defending Mexican champion Monterrery. None of the three played for Mexico during World Cup qualifying.

Among the surprise omissions was Morelia’s Miguel Sabah, who scored the goal that beat the U.S., 2-1, in World Cup qualifying last August. However Sabah’s absence is likely explained by the fact that Morelia plays Uruguay’s Nacional on Tuesday in the Copa Libertadores.

Mexico’s pre-World Cup tour continues March 3 at the Rose Bowl, where El Tri will meet fellow Cup qualifier New Zealand.

-- Kevin Baxter