Alejandro Zendejas Saavedra (born February 7, 1998) is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Liga MX club América. Born in Mexico, he plays for the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Early life

Zendejas was born in Ciudad Juárez in Mexico before moving to

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

, in the United States at a young age. The

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

U.S. Soccer The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

, and

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the leag ...

websites all listed him as being born in

. FC Dallas later confirmed that Zendejas had been born in Mexico.

Club career

FC Dallas

On October 1, 2014, Zendejas signed a

homegrown Homegrown may refer to any plants grown in a domestic setting. It may also refer to: Music *Home Grown, an American rock band formed in 1994 * ''Home Grown'' (Geri Allen album), 1985 * ''Homegrown'' (Dodgy album), 1995 * ''Home Grown'' (Blue Mou ...

player contract with

, making him the 13th homegrown signing in club history. However, he was not eligible to play for the first team until the 2015 season. He made his professional debut on 1 May 2015, in a 4–1 victory over Houston Dynamo.

C.D. Guadalajara

On June 23, 2016, Zendejas signed with Liga MX

C.D. Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divis ...

. In order to meet with the club's tradition of only using Mexican players, Zendejas agreed to reject future U.S. national team call-ups and accept Mexico national team call-ups if they ever occur. Zendejas was registered with the first team and was given the number 29 jersey, the same kit he had at Dallas. Zendejas made his Liga MX debut on August 6, in a match against

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities. Its capi ...

Loan at Zacatepec

In a press conference, Chivas coach

Matías Almeyda Matías Jesús Almeyda (; born 21 December 1973) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Greek Super League club AEK Athens. Nicknamed ''El Pelado'' ("bald one") despite his traditionally ...

confirmed some youth players would be sent out on loan to sister club Zacatepec to get playing time. On 8 June 2017, Zacatepec announced they had signed Zendejas on loan. Zendejas scored his first professional goal in a

Copa MX The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it ...

match against

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

. He scored his first

Ascenso MX Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier) ...

goal on August 12, 2017, against Murciélagos F.C. Zacatepec would go on to win 1-0 with his goal.

Necaxa

On June 29, 2020, Zendejas joined

Club Necaxa Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Necaxa, is a Mexican professional football club in Liga MX based in the city of Aguascalientes. It plays in the Estadio Victoria. History Foundation (Light and Power Comp ...

on a free transfer.

Club América

On January 17, 2022, Zendejas joined

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. ...

for $3 million.

International career

United States

Zendejas was a member the United States under-17 squad that competed at the

2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship The 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship was a scheduled age-restricted international association football tournament organised by CONCACAF. The competition was used to determine the four CONCACAF representatives at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chil ...

playing alongside future USMNT stars

Christian Pulisic Christian Mate Pulisic (; hr, Pulišić, ; born September 18, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for club Chelsea and the United States national team. Pulisic is renowned for his ...

and

Tyler Adams Tyler Shaan Adams (born February 14, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Premier League club Leeds United and captains the United States national team. Primarily a midfielder, Adams is capable of playing as a fullback ...

. Overall, he gained 27 caps and scored four goals for the U-17 national team. After joining Mexican club

, Zendejas agreed to reject future U.S. national team call-ups and accept Mexico national team call-ups if they occur. However, on January 17, 2023, Zendejas was included in the list of call ups for two friendlies against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

and Colombia as he never applied to FIFA for a one-time switch in affiliation to be allowed to appear for a Mexico national team. In January 2023, Zendejas became the fifth player to earn caps for both national teams in the history of the Mexico–U.S. football rivalry and only the second Mexican-born to do so since

Martín Vásquez Martín Vásquez Gómez (born December 24, 1963) is an American former professional soccer player. The first of five players to have played for both the United States and Mexico, he has served as a coach since retiring. Playing career Youth ...

. On March 14, 2023,

announced that Zendejas had officially committed to play internationally for the United States on a permanent basis.

Mexico

In August 2017, Zendejas was called up to the Mexico under-21 squad for games in China and

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, the start of preparation for the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

. Zendejas received his first call-up to the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

Gerardo Martino Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing a ...

, and made his debut on 27 October 2021 in a friendly match against

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, coming in as a substitute in the 65th minute for

Uriel Antuna Carlos Uriel Antuna Romero (born 21 August 1997) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Cruz Azul and the Mexico national team. Club career Early career In 2012, Antuna joined the Santos Laguna youth acad ...

Controversy

In late August 2022, FIFA issued an investigation probe on the

Mexican Football Federation The Mexican Football Federation (; abbreviated as Femexfut or FMF) is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It adm the Mexico national team, the Liga MX and all affiliated amateur sectors, and controls promoting, organizing, dire ...

regarding Zendejas' call-ups to friendly matches in October 2021 and April 2022, against

and Guatemala respectively, the matches themselves were non-FIFA regulated matches but nevertheless, Zendejas' national team allegiance was still under the 'legal' jurisdiction of the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

, meaning that Zendejas had taken part in friendly matches for Mexico without consulting or filing a one-time switch to FIFA in order to

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type ...

national team allegiances, a violation of FIFA regulations. On November 9, 2022, Zendejas’ attorneys revealed to media that the player was considering a one-time switch to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. On January 19, 2023, FIFA ordered

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

to forfeit two friendlies—a 3–2 loss against

on October 28, 2021, and a 0–0 draw with Guatemala on April 22, 2022— and pay a 10,000 Swiss Franc fine for using Zendejas in violation of regulations. The Mexico under-23 team was also ordered to forfeit three games in which Zendejas played.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zendejas goal.''

Honors

Guadalajara * Liga MX: Clausura 2017 *

Supercopa MX The Supercopa MX ( en, Supercup MX) was a Mexican football championship contested by the winners of the Apertura and Clausura Copa MX. History In June 2013 Liga MX president Decio De María announced the winners of Apertura and Clausura Copa MX ...

: 2016 *

: Clausura 2017 United States *

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League ( es, Liga de Naciones CONCACAF, french: Ligue des Nations de la CONCACAF) is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zendejas, Alejandro 1998 births Living people American men's soccer players United States men's international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Mexican men's footballers Mexico men's international footballers Mexico men's youth international footballers Mexican emigrants to the United States American sportspeople of Mexican descent Homegrown Players (MLS) FC Dallas players C.D. Guadalajara footballers Men's association football midfielders Major League Soccer players Liga MX players Dual men's international footballers Sportspeople from Ciudad Juárez 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup players