Arsenal have cleared Marcelo Flores to play for Mexico against Chile in a Dec. 8 friendly in Austin, Texas, outside of the FIFA window.
The call-up would be the first for the 18-year-old on Mexico’s senior team. The midfielder also has the option to play for England or Canada.
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Arsenal Academy acknowledged the call-up via a tweet, saying: “Marcelo Flores has received his first call-up to the senior Mexico squad. Our #AFCU18 midfielder will travel to Austin for Mexico’s friendly against Chile next week. Congratulations, Marcelo! We’re so proud of you.”
Bringing in the midfielder is a significant step forward for the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), which is well aware of the fact that the Canadian-born midfielder also has the option to play for England or Canada. Earlier this year, Flores was included in Canada’s provisional roster for the 2021 Gold Cup.
Because the upcoming Mexico game is a friendly, Flores will still be able to weigh his options for national team allegiance between the three countries.
Looking ahead to 2022, Flores could become a new addition to a Mexico senior side that is coming off of two losses in CONCACAF’s Octagonal round of World Cup qualifying. Mexico currently sits in 3rd in the qualifying table and need to remain in the top three in order to guarantee an automatic spot for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
