The first battle between Cavan Sullivan and Gilberto Mora will have to wait.
Sullivan got the start for the U.S. men's national team in its rivalry showdown with Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 3, but Mora missed out on Mexico's squad entirely.
The two 17-year-olds have looked like future superstars early in their career, with Mora already playing for Mexico at the 2025 Gold Cup and 2026 World Cup.
But Mora missed out on the match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona after battling an ankle injury.
Mora scored his first-ever international goal in Mexico's first match of the window, a 1-1 draw with Colombia, but the teenager then sat out of El Tri's 1-1 draw with Peru.
TUDN reported an ankle issue had emerged during a training session after the Peru
match that had trainers working to make sure Mora would be fit for the second half of this extended international window.
But Mora's absence on Saturday was still a bit of a surprise. Mora was spotted training normally during the build-up to the contest with the U.S. and Mexico coach Rafa Marquez said on Friday that he was "eligible" for the game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Gilberto Mora not playing for Mexico vs USA tonight?
