Mexico’s new head coach Diego Cocca and his staff are trying to convince USMNT winger Alejandro Zendejas to change national teams. Cocca reportedly contacted Zendejas earlier this month to let him know that he is part of his plans if he decides to switch his allegiance to Mexico.
Zendejas was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. at a young age. He spent his early career with MLS side FC Dallas but has played in Mexico’s Liga MX since 2016. The 25-year-old player is currently playing for Club América, where he scored eight goals and added three assists in 24 appearances in 2022-23.
Zendejas represented the U.S. on U15 and U17 levels before deciding to play for Mexico’s youth teams since 2017. He made his debut for Mexico’s senior team in 2021, but it was later discovered that he didn’t apply for the one-time switch and was still considered a USMNT player. Both El Tri and Mexico U23 had to forfeit the games in which Zendejas played, while Mexican Football Federation was ordered to pay a fine.
Following the controversy, Zendejas accepted the call-up from USMNT for a friendly against Serbia and played all 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss. Still, the player didn’t rule out playing for Mexico in the future, saying that he still hasn’t made his final decision.
“I’ll probably focus on the future once we get to that standpoint,” he said at the time.
