Mexico Picks Players for the World Cup

May 16, 2026, 04:25
CanadaSports

Introduction

The Mexico football team is picking players for the World Cup. Coach Javier Aguirre is choosing the team.

Main Body

The coach had a list of 55 players. Now he must pick only 26 players. He will finish this list by June 1. Players must play well to be on the team. Guillermo Ochoa is 40 years old. He is a goalkeeper. He wants to play in his sixth World Cup. He says he is strong and ready to play. Mexico will play friendly games against Ghana, Australia, and Serbia. Then they play South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic in the tournament.

Conclusion

The coach is choosing the best 26 players from the big list. Old players and new players all want to play.

Learning

πŸ•’ The 'Right Now' Action

Look at these sentences from the text:

  • "The Mexico football team is picking players."
  • "Coach Javier Aguirre is choosing the team."

What is happening? We use is + [verb]ing to talk about things happening at this moment or these days.

The Simple Pattern: Person β†’ is β†’ Actioning

Examples from the story:

  • Team β†’\rightarrow is picking β†’\rightarrow players
  • Coach β†’\rightarrow is choosing β†’\rightarrow the team

🌍 Countries vs. People

In the text, we see names of places. To move to A2, you must see the difference between the Place and the Game:

Place (Noun)The Action (Verb)Result
Mexicowill playGhana
Australiawill playSerbia

Quick Tip: When you see a country name followed by "will play," the story is talking about the future β†’\rightarrow something that has not happened yet.

Vocabulary Learning

goalkeeper
A player who protects the goal and tries to prevent the ball from entering it
Example:Guillermo Ochoa is a goalkeeper for the Mexico football team.
friendly
A game played for practice, not part of an official competition
Example:Mexico will play friendly games against Ghana and Australia.
tournament
A series of games where teams compete to win a title
Example:The World Cup is a big tournament where many countries play.
coach
A person who trains and leads a sports team
Example:Coach Javier Aguirre is choosing the team for the World Cup.
list
An ordered set of items written down
Example:The coach had a list of 55 players.