Mexico turns to Luis Malagón against Brazil, marking the end of an era for Guillermo Ochoa

Update, 3:21 p.m. Friday, June 7: Luis Ángel Malagón will not be Mexico’s goalkeeper in the friendly match against Brazil on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station. On Friday, it was learned that Luis Malagón will be out for three to four weeks due to a muscle tear in the gluteal area.

Original story follows

Mexico’s match Saturday against Brazil will mark the end of an era in El Tri’s goalkeeping.

Luis Ángel Malagón will be the keeper for the Mexican national team in Saturday’s game at Kyle Field in College Station, and with that, Guillermo (Memo) Ochoa’s time as the starter in the position will have ended.

Malagón, 27, has become the best Mexican goalkeeper.

With his current team, Club América in Liga MX, Malagón has already won two consecutive titles, and his performances were fundamental to achieving success.

Against Brazil, Malagón will have to ensure that El Tri avoids another embarrassing performance like the one suffered Wednesday in its 4-0 loss to Uruguay in a friendly in Denver. Raúl Rangel was Mexico’s goalkeeper against Uruguay.

Malagón received his first professional opportunity in 2016 with Club Morelia, a team he was with until 2020 before moving to Necaxa.

In 2023, he arrived at Club América, where his level skyrocketed until he reached the Mexican national team.

The friendly against Brazil will be the last for both teams before Copa America begins. The continental tournament will be played from June 20-July 14 in 14 venues across the United States, including AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

For the first time in an official tournament since 2005, Ochoa’s name does not appear on the Mexican roster.

With 150 appearances, Ochoa has the third-most most caps in Mexico’s history (Claudio Suárez 177, Andrés Guardado 179).

At 38, Ochoa seeks to reach his sixth World Cup in 2026, but he does not have a club currently since the Italian League team Salernitana let him go after relegating to the second division.

This is Malagón’s time.

“Memo has always been very good to me, and I will always be grateful to him,” Malagón said in a recent interview with TUDN. “I have a much higher opinion of him as a human being than a player. He is one of the guys I admire the most.”

Malagón’s life story is exemplary for those willing to fight to achieve their dreams.

As a child, Malagon suffered many deprivations. His family was impoverished, and his father worked sweeping the streets in his hometown, Zamora, Michoacán.

At 13 years old, Malagón left his home and embarked on a cross-country trip to look for an opportunity with Club Santos.

The desire to help his family was greater than any challenge he had to face.

Malagón has said on several occasions that his father got up every day at 3 a.m. to go to work and that his biggest dream was to succeed in soccer to get his family out of poverty. He has already accomplished that.

The Mexican national team’s coach, Jaime Lozano, has started the process of rejuvenating his squad, which is one reason why he did not call up Ochoa for the game against Brazil and Copa America.

“To be honest with you, I have to consider Memo’s situation one tournament at a time,” Lozano told The Dallas Morning News when he was at the AT&T Stadium in March to play the Confederations Cup final against the United States.

“Memo is very professional, and every time he comes to the national team, he is excited as if it were his first time. He is a leader, the entire group sees him as such,” said Lozano.

Malagón is the one chosen by Lozano so that Mexican fans do not miss Ochoa’s often-spectacular saves.

“Malagón is in great shape. When we have needed him, he has done wonderfully. And on top of all that, he is champion of the Mexican League,” said Lozano, who did not say if Malagón would be Mexico’s starting goalkeeper in the upcoming World Cup.

“I can’t say it now because I don’t know. It wouldn’t be good for me to talk about that right now. The only thing I know is that we hope that both Memo and Malagón will be in their best possible shape when it comes time for the World Cup,” Lozano said.

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