Jonathan dos Santos, Carlos Vela called up for Mexico friendlies

Carlos Vela goal celebration-RSL-LAFC-3-10.18

Juan Carlos Osorio has named his 28-man roster for Mexico’s upcoming pre-World Cup friendlies against Iceland and Croatia and it’s a mixed bag for fans of the two Los Angeles teams.


Included is LA Galaxy midfielder Jonathan dos Santos, who scored in a 2-1 loss to New York City FC on Sunday at Yankee Stadium when he moved from his role as the club’s No. 6 to the more advanced playmaking position his brother Gio is usually in, largely because Gio left the match with a hamstring injury at halftime.


The LA Galaxy announced that the injury will keep Gio out 1-3 weeks, and Osorio did not include him on his roster.


Also selected for El Tri is Carlos Vela, who has helped expansion side LAFC race out to a 2-0-0 start. He also scored his first MLS goal on Saturday in a 5-1 rout of Real Salt Lake.


Giovani and Jonathan were last called in by Osorio for Mexico’s friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina in January. In that match, Jonathan recorded the game-winning assist in a 1-0 victory at the Alamodome in San Antonio.


With the call-up, Jonathan will miss the Galaxy’s match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, March 24 at BC Place. He will return ahead of LA Galaxy’s next home match on Saturday, March 31 against LAFC at StubHub Center.