Zendejas just ‘enjoying the moment’ as USMNT-Mexico tug-of-war continues
Zendejas just ‘enjoying the moment’ as USMNT-Mexico tug-of-war continues
The Club America midfielder could make his U.S. debut in a friendly against Serbia
The rivalry between the United States and Mexico primarily centers around North American soccer supremacy.
But which team is the best in the region is only a small part of it. A big component has increasingly been the fight for talent in the form of dual citizens.
The latest budding star in this continental tug-of-war involves Alejandro Zendejas. The 24-year-old Mexican American midfielder — currently in the USMNT’s January camp taking place this week in Southern California — once played for El Tri.
Which national team the Club America star will commit to in the future, however, remains a mystery.
“I’m enjoying the moment, taking the opportunity that I have this week,” Zendejas said on Tuesday.
He repeatedly dodged questions about his future just a week after Mexico was ordered by FIFA to forfeit two games. The sanction came after Zendejas had appeared for Mexico in those matches — switching from the U.S. youth system — without proper approval.
Both nations continue to pursue Zendejas, who was born in Mexico and grew up in El Paso, Texas. He spent two years with FC Dallas before moving to Mexican powerhouse Chivas Guadalajara in 2016. Four years later, he moved to Necaxa, where he got more playing time.
Zendejas was a member the U.S. Under-17 team that competed at the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, playing alongside future USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams. After joining Chivas, Zendejas agreed to reject future U.S. national team call-ups and accept those from Mexico if they were to occur.
He received his first call-up to Mexico’s senior team by then-manager Gerardo Martino, making his debut in an October 2021 friendly against Ecuador when he came on as a second-half substitute.
That game — and a second appearance in a friendly against Guatemala last April — eventually became the focus of a FIFA probe that led to the sanctions.
Zendejas has the chance on Wednesday to make his senior U.S. debut in a friendly against Serbia at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
“To be honest, I don’t really like to pay much attention to what’s going on outside of the soccer standpoint because that’s my job,” Zendejas said. “I’m just focused on what I can do on the field and how I can help the team the best way possible.”
Will we see Zendejas play for the USMNT in games that count, which includes the CONCACAF Nations League in March and the Gold Cup this summer?
“I hope we get that win [on Wednesday] and on a personal level, I hope it’s a great game for me,” he said, failing to reveal his plans. “I’ll probably focus on the future once we get to that standpoint.”
The plan is for Zendejas to leave camp after the Serbia match so he could return to Mexico for Club America’s Liga MX match this coming Saturday against Puebla.
Interim U.S. manager Anthony Hudson called Zendejas “a nice guy” and that the other players in camp were “very supportive of him.”
“We’re really lucky that we’ve got him,” Hudson added.
Zendejas signed with Club America a year ago, scoring 13 goals in 40 games. His form at the Mexican club has, Zendejas explained, put the spotlight on him once again.
“Now that I made this move to Club América, that has helped me out a little bit,” he said.