Mexican coach announces near-final list

 MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico's World Cup soccer team is almost set -- a squad that includes only six members of the 1994 World Cup squad but most of those who suffered three recent humiliating defeats in South America.
 Coach Manuel Lapuente on Thursday announced the pre-selection of 23 players. Relatively few changes are expected before the World Cup finals in France in June.
 The announcement comes on the heels of a disastrous tour of Argentina and Chile that saw the Mexican national team lose convincingly to Boca Juniors (3-1), the Catholic University of Chile (5-1) and to a Chilean youth team (2-1).
 "Games were lost, but we go forward," Lapuente told reporters as the team returned to Mexico City on Thursday.
 The pre-selection leaves out some of Mexico's best known players: forward Carlos Hermosillo, midfielders Benjamin Galindo, Joaquin del Olmo and Alberto Coyote and goalkeeper Adolfo Rios.
 But it includes players who have been anchors of the squad in recent months: forward Luis Hernandez, midfielders Alberto Garcia Aspe and Ramon Ramirez, defender Claudio Suarez and goalkeeper Jorge Campos.
 Notably, all of the players are from Mexican professional teams; none plays abroad, though a handful have done so in the past. New to the group is defender David Oteo who plays for the National University Pumas.
 The only players carried over from the 1994 World Cup are Campos, Garcia Aspe, Suarez, Ramirez, midfielder Marcelino Bernal and forward Luis Garcia. Only four players who appeared in the South American disaster were dropped.
 The lineup announced Thursday:
 Goalkeepers: Jorge Campos, Oswaldo Sanchez and Oscar Perez.
 Defenders: Pavel Pardo, Issac Terrazas, Duilio Davino, Claudio Suarez, Joel Sanchez, David Oteo and Salvador Carmona.
 Midfielders: Alberto Garcia Aspe, Marcelino Bernal, German Villa, Braulio Luna, Jaime Ordiales and Ramon Ramirez.
 Forwards: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Paulo Cesar Chavez, Francisco Palencia, Luis Hernandez, Luis Garcia, Ricardo Pelaez and Jesus Arellano.