There’s no question that Mexico is losing the Alejandro Zendejas sweepstakes. Let’s start there. If we’re admitting this though, why is it not a problem for Mexico that he’s going to a camp with the US? In short, things are not going to get any worse than they are right now from Zendejas going to a camp with the USMNT and playing in a friendly game with a bunch of other American MLS players. All coached by a guy who probably won’t be the head coach of the team moving into the 2026 World Cup cycle.
Keep in mind that Mexico was actually already fined by FIFA for putting Zendejas into a game when he wasn’t legally able to play for Mexico. This whole debacle may lead El Tri to drop plenty of places in the FIFA ranking with the games that they were forced to forfeit and lose 3-0 on paper. That would all be bad news if it weren’t for the fact that Mexico’s hosting the next World Cup, and they’re going to get the chance to be the head of the group in that tournament regardless. So really Mexico’s not necessarily losing out, and sadly for Zendejas this game may not be as consequential as it may have been if Berhalter was the coach.
What’s In It For Zendejas?
So far we’ve made it sound like these games for the USMNT are more or less useless. To be fair they were to begin with. Now with the whole Gregg Berhalter situation it gets even worse because what could’ve been at least a decent opportunity for some of these guys like Zendejas to showcase themselves is kind or ruined. At the very least we would say that the platform has diminished. Essentially it’s a showcase for sure, but you’re showcasing to whom?
For Zendejas though it may actually mean more than to the other players. Because Mexico may also have his eyes on him. Sadly, once again he’s showcasing himself to whom? There’s no coach set in place to be able to impress! Santiago Baños the General Manager at Club America revealed that they’ve talked to Zendejas and outright told him that the best thing that he can do as a Club America player is play for El Tri. Ultimately though it’s his decision on what he wants to do. What that might tell us though is that there needs to be a pro Televisa head coach in Mexico for Zendejas to have a shot with El Tri otherwise he may not play for Mexico.
Zendejas Needs To Step His Game Up
Again, let’s not get it twisted Zendejas is one of the more talented players in Liga MX. He’s been playing at a really high level over the last year. He’s got Santiago Solari to thank really because no one really came after him hard when he was at Necaxa. In any case, he plays one of the most congested positions in Mexico right now. As an offensive wing player he has to beat out Antuna, Alexis Vega, Chucky Lozano, and Tecatito when they are all healthy. You could make the argument that he’s on par with Vega and Antuna, but ultimately that still makes him a bit of a role player.
With the USMNT he would have to beat out Weah, Pulisic, Reyna, and maybe some of the other players that have tried their hand at being the USMNT’s number 9. Even though he’s had a decent year and change he’s just not that much better than any of the guys on both sides to make him worth the drama. He can take steps to change that tomorrow, but it’s unfortunate that his platform is considerably diminished by the lack of a permanent head coach on either side!
