The start of the 2018 campaign has not been easy for Jonathan dos Santos, but his dream to make Mexico’s 23-man World Cup roster for the first time in his career is still a possibility.
The Mexican international joined the national team this weekend after another 90-minute performance in Friday’s 1-0 win in the California Clásico to prepare to play in a friendly World Cup tune-up against Wales May 28th at the Rose Bowl.
A nagging hamstring injury kept dos Santos out of Mexico’s previous two friendlies in January, and he has missed four out of 11 games so far this MLS season. Despite the injuries, dos Santos said before practice on Thursday that he was not worried about possibly not making the final roster.
“Obviously any player on the list is capable of going. They have the ability, that is they are there,” dos Santos said. “I am calm, I’m mentally and physically in a good place to play with my team for 90 minutes with the confidence, and we shall see.”
Dos Santos isn’t going to Russia to make up the numbers but aspires to be a pivotal contributor to the team’s success throughout the tournament.
The key for dos Santos is he must find the balance between finding his form to make the squad yet do so without risking another injury so close to the World Cup.
“Yes, of course, you think about it, I am not going to lie to you,” dos Santos said. “I can tell you that before the Montreal game I was bit nervous. It’s normal since I had time off from an injury… but the most important thing is to not think about it.”
Despite being one of Mexico’s brightest talents in recent years, he missed out on both the 2010 and 2014 World Cup rosters. Dos Santos said that those experiences helped him get over being left off those rosters.
“You get over it with time. Those are the decisions that occur in soccer, and that’s how soccer is sometimes,” dos Santos said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and that time I lost. But I believe that I learned a lot from it. It has made me more mature and made me grow. And all my experiences after that were better because of it…with the help of your family, and little by little.”
In spite of all the injuries, criticisms and nerves, dos Santos said he feels optimistic that his name, along with his brother Giovani dos Santos will be on that final 23-man roster.
“Yes, we are closer, we are almost there, we just have to cross to the other side, and there’s just a little bit left,” he said. “We both believe and think we will be on that list of 23.”
