The USMNT landed the star it needed with Alejandro Zendejas. However, his participation in January camp isn't indicative of his long-term plans with the team.
If he is not one of the best players in North America, he is certainly one of the most famous, a signature player on one of Mexico’s signature teams,A shifty left-footed attacker courted both by the country of his birth and the country in which he was raised, Zendejas had previously played two games for Mexico while technically still a U.
S. player under FIFA rules. Expected to make his U.S. senior national team debut Wednesday night against Serbia at recently renamedThen he opened his mouth, revealing his participation in the United States’ January camp wasn’t necessarily indicative of his long-term plans.Jalen Neal, a 19-year-old defender for the Galaxy, could earn his first cap with the U.S. national team Wednesday against Serbia at BMO Stadium. Speaking after the team’s training session Tuesday, Zendejas was noncommittal about his international future beyond the upcoming match. “I’m enjoying the moment, taking the opportunity that I have this week,” he said. “I have my mind focused on tomorrow’s game.”He didn’t say his future was with Mexico, but he didn’t say it wasn’t either.Mexico was eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup and its federation is a mess, but the U.S. team has its own problems.How can Zendejas commit his future to a program that doesn’t know where it’s headed? The Mexican-born and Texas-raised Zendejas is considered by FIFA to be a U.S. player because he represented the country at the U-17 World Cup in 2015. Though Zendejas turned professional with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, he became established in Mexico’s Liga MX. He played for Mexico at the U-23 and senior levels but did so without filing the necessary paperwork, resulting in forfeits and fines for El Tri. América’s Alejandro Zendejas and Chivas’ Sebastián Pérez compete for the ball during a Liga MX match in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 12, 2022. Ironically, because he never filed for a one-time switch in affiliation to play for Mexico, he remains eligible to do so as long as he doesn’t play in an official match. The United States’ game against Serbia is an exhibition and therefore won’t count. Asked whether he would be open to playing in Nations League and Gold Cup games later this year that would permanently tie him to the U.S., Zendejas replied: “Hopefully, tomorrow will be a great game for the whole team. Hopefully, get that win, and then on a personal level, I hope it’s a great game for me, and then I’ll probably focus on the future once we get to that standpoint again.”
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