American Alejandro Zendejas, midfielder for Mexico’s America soccer team, confirmed on Thursday that he will double his team’s efforts to secure a place in the United States squad again.
“I hope to have a better year than last year. I want to maintain a high level of football to attract the attention of the new national team coach, whoever he may be,” Zendejas said at a press conference.
The midfielder expressed his regret over the dismissal of Gregg Berhalter, last Wednesday, from coaching the United States national team, after his team was eliminated from the first stage of the 2024 Copa America tournament, which is being held on American soil.
“I thank Greg because he was the one who gave me the confidence to play with the United States National Team, and now that he is gone, all I can do is wish him the best in everything he does next and that he achieves great success.” He reiterated that this is his goal.
Zendejas was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, although he also holds naturalized American citizenship.
He was a member of the United States U-17 team, starting at the 2015 U-17 World Cup. He was also part of the Mexico U-21 team in two warm-up matches prior to the Tokyo Olympics and was called up to the Mexico senior team.
This sparked controversy because according to FIFA rules, since Zendejas participated in official competition for the U.S. youth national team, a one-time change of affiliation had to be requested from FIFA in order for him to play for the U.S. national team, something that did not happen.
As punishment, FIFA ordered three defeats (3-0) for Mexico in the friendly matches that had already been played, results that had an impact on the FIFA ranking.
In March 2023, the player announced that he would not request a change of federation because his “heart” told him that his future was with the United States.
Since arriving in America for the 2022 Clausura, Zendejas has been a regular in the starting eleven and a key part of the two championships he has won, in the 2023 Clausura and the 2024 Apertura.
The midfielder announced on Thursday that he is ready to repeat as a starter on the second day of the Clausura 2024, in which America will host Querétaro on Friday.
Evie/Photo: Evie
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