DALLAS -- Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio is disappointed that El Tri won't be facing a full-strength Croatia team in Tuesday's friendly at AT&T Stadium.
Croatia announced on Saturday that six key players -- Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic, Danijel Subasic and Nikola Kalinic -- would be returning to Europe after Friday's 2-0 loss to Peru in Miami, severely weakening the squad that will play Mexico.
"It is lamentable because the idea of these games is to face opponents with their best XI," Osorio said on arrival at the Mexican team hotel in Dallas.
"Personally I was longing for a game against some of the best players there are in terms of possession of the ball, like Modric, [Ivan] Rakitic and [Mateo] Kovacic."
Osorio had held back some of Mexico's most important players during El Tri's 3-0 win on Friday against Iceland, including Javier Hernandez, presumably with half an eye on the Croatia game.
"I think that we'll follow our plan, see what we can do, which of our players can play and make conclusions to prepare [for the World Cup] as well as possible," he said.
Osorio had said that the game against Croatia would be good preparation for Mexico's World Cup opener against Germany and suggested that clauses should've been in the contract to make sure the Vatreni brought its strongest squad.
"I don't know [why Croatia has sent the players back] and don't have the arguments to give an opinion," added Osorio. "But the organizers in the future have to take into consideration the situation and have suggestions and norms in the contract so that we can play against the best possible XI."