The fallout from Jonathan Gonzalez’s switch from the United States national team to Mexico has been expectedly fierce, especially so when coupled with the current state of U.S. Soccer. Here was a California native who’d progressed through the U.S. youth system, including run-outs at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, who joined Mexican club side C.F. Monterrey in 2014 “bleeding red, white and blue.”
Back on November 24, 2017, Guadalajara completed a three-goal comeback in the Apertura championship to shock Pachuca in the inaugural season of Liga MX Femenil, the top-flight women’s league in Mexico. Key to Chivas’ triumph was midfield captain Tania Morales, a 31-year-old native of Guadalajara who scored five goals and two assists in the 14-match regular season to lead her club into the playoffs.
As first reported by Univision and subsequently confirmed by ESPN FC and the Washington Post’s Steven Goff, 18-year-old Monterrey midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez, having represented the United States at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, will request a one-time switch of allegiance from FI
According to Club America coach Miguel Herrera, the opportunity to land 27-year-old Dutch international and current PSV Eindhoven striker Luuk de Jong “has been laid on the table.” America and Herrera are looking to land an international player to rival Tigres’ Andre-Pierre Gignac (“a player with a bigger name than Gignac,” according to Herrera), and De Jong is the player the club and coach have landed on.
Tigres winger Jurgen Damm has turned himself into an example of how not to play with fireworks after suffering first-degree burns on the right side of his face in a New Year's Eve fireworks accident. Damm will be out for around two weeks, the club announced.
Liga MX side Pachuca have landed 22-year-old winger Kekuta Manneh on a free transfer after the USMNT hopeful turned down the Columbus Crew’s contract offer, electing to continue his development abroad after five years of play in Major League Soccer.
¡Welcome @kekuta16!
Pablo Aguilar has officially left Club América and "Las águilas" fans are losing their minds. Everyone is wondering how Club América came to even think of allowing arguably their most reliable player to leave the club.
Aguilar is no doubt one of the best defenders in Liga MX. Four years ago, Aguilar joined Club América from Tijuana and proved to be one of the best purchases the club has made in recent times. Now Aguilar is headed back to Tijuana.
Récord, a Mexican daily sports newspaper, has named 18-year-old American midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez in its Torneo Apertura Best XI following a sensational breakthrough season for the California native at Monterrey.
After signing with Monterrey in 2014, Gonzalez advanced through the youth ranks before becoming a mainstay in the heart of Los Rayados’ midfield throughout the 2017 Apertura season. Monterrey finished at the top of the table in the regular season before losing in the final to Tigres.
In continuing the theme of 2017 being a sh*t year for U.S. soccer, the lone American at the Club World Cup was at fault for the goal that knocked Mexico’s Pachuca out of the competition on Tuesday at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE. Gremio’s Everton turned Omar Gonzalez inside out before curling in a wonderful shot to give the Brazilian side a 1-0 victory in extra time.
Gonzalez apparently thought he was still playing for the USMNT, perhaps against Trinidad and Tobago.