2 September 2010 / REUTERS, MEXICO
Mexico, whose younger players impressed at the World Cup, are looking to cut the number of foreigners in the domestic league to increase international opportunities for the country's juniors.
The cosmpolitan league, whose foreign contingent largely includes South American talent, allows its 18 first division clubs a maximum of five non-Mexican players in their squads. “We're working to see how many foreigners are needed per team. We have to think about defending our young Mexicans,' Justino Compean, president of the country's football federation Femexfut, told reporters. The large number of foreigners in the league has proved controversial, with the national side selecting naturalized players like Argentina-born Guillermo Franco. Brazil-born Mexico midfielder Antonio Naelson “Sinha” of champions Toluca was voted the best player of last season's Clausura tournament. In recent years, the top scorer in the Mexican league has been a Chilean or Argentine and last season Mexico's Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, now with Manchester United, shared it with American Herculez Gomez and Peru's Johan Fano.
