NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When Giovani dos Santos steps onto the field at Nissan Stadium on Saturday to face New Zealand in front of an expected crowd of around 40,000, it'll have been exactly 450 days since he last experienced what it feels like to represent Mexico.
A lot has been said in that time regarding Dos Santos' potential role in the team, his relationship with coach Juan Carlos Osorio and the question from a section of Mexico fans -- starting to sound like a broken record on repeat -- about whether the fact he plays in MLS for the LA Galaxy means he can still contribute at the international level.
The 27-year-old brushed the doubts -- predominantly about him choosing not to play at the Copa America -- aside on Friday and stressed this is a new chapter in his international career.
"It's a joy to be back with the national team. I was really hoping for this moment," Dos Santos said in a news conference. "Now with the coach's and teammates' trust I will try to do as well as possible. I was very well received."
Former Barcelona player Dos Santos comes into the game against Anthony Hudson's New Zealand off the back of 14 goals in 27 games for the Galaxy this season and has been impressed with what his Colombian coach has to offer.
"It is the first time that I've worked with the coaching staff and honestly I've been surprised, he knows a lot about football," Dos Santos said. "He helps you to grow and improve as a professional and learn new things."
As to where Dos Santos could play, that was a question Osorio left up in the air, although there don't seem to be a lack of options for the versatile player.
"In some games we don't literally play with a No. 10, but we play with five or six offensive players," Osorio said in response to a question from ESPN FC. "In our way of understanding the game, we strongly believe that the offensive side of the game doesn't depend on one player; it depends on many players.
"We think that Giovani can play No. 10, but he's an offensive player that can play on both flanks, in behind the striker and we're trying to find the best possible ways -- not just one [way] -- that we can use all his talent."
Osorio was asked on a couple of occasions about how he is coping with the pressure he is under, with his tenure questioned in the wake of the 7-0 defeat to Chile at the Copa America Centenario and shaky performances against El Salvador and Honduras in the September World Cup qualifiers. This week, former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera also questioned Osorio's approach, especially his rotation of players. Yet Osorio's record still reads 12 games, nine wins, two draws and one loss, although El Tri has been victorious in only one of its last four matches.
Osorio preferred to stress those positives, rather than dwell on the negative speculation that has filled the Mexican press.
"These days with the boys have been extraordinary," Osorio said.
The overriding priority for the Mexican national team at present is the World Cup qualifier against the United States in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 11. Many pundits have been left perplexed as to why Osorio left national team stalwarts like Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Hector Herrera and Andres Guardado back in Europe for these games, when the consensus seemed to be that the team should be using every possible minute of preparation time to tune-up for the clash against the U.S.
Osorio asked: "If we don't [call up alternative players] now, how would I be able to see the performance of some players?
"We would be denying them the opportunity to show the level they are at," he added. "I think this is an opportunity for others to show us they can compete for a starting spot."
The Mexico coach, whose job could be under threat in the short-term if results don't go well in what remains of 2016, according to reports, says he wants to see how close Orbelin Pineda is to Herrera. He is also interested to see how much work Erick Gutierrez still has to do to catch Guardado and whether Chivas center-back Hedgardo Marin can be the natural left-footed replacement for Hector Moreno.
Osorio picked out certain similarities between the U.S. and New Zealand in terms of their play at set pieces, but the All Whites are ranked 88th by FIFA, and even though Hudson talked to reporters about the confidence he has in his squad, facing the U.S. in Columbus will be a whole different challenge for El Tri than New Zealand in Nashville.
The one area in which Saturday's game can have real short-term relevance is for players to step up and grab the opportunity. Topping that list is Dos Santos, but Eintracht Frankfurt's Marco Fabian is also in terrific form and could make a late push to start against the U.S.. Then there is Chivas striker Alan Pulido, who has come out of the wilderness of his failed stint in Greece and possesses the raw talent to be a regular in this Mexico squad.
The time for youngsters like Pineda, Gutierrez and Lozano will surely come, and Osorio is right to be observing their development close up, but Dos Santos and Fabian are in their prime and can't be certain of continued call-ups if they can't or don't impact games like Saturday's against New Zealand.
Osorio's reign so far has proved as much.