United States winger Alex Zendejas further fueled his growing reputation with another standout performance in Sunday’s Liga MX final second leg, helping Club America clinch an historic third-straight championship.
Zendejas, an intriguing option for the U.S. men’s national team and new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, set up his team’s only goal in a 1-1 draw that sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory over Monterrey. The 26-year-old’s smart header fell to teammate Richard Sanchez, who powered home a spectacular strike from outside the box.
For Pochettino, there is a lot to like about Zendejas. Going into 2025, his confidence could hardly be higher, having scored a crucial goal in the first leg of the Liga MX Apertura season’s decider midweek and again proving to be the chief impetus of the Club America attack on Sunday. Since Mexican soccer moved to a split season in 1991, no team had previously won three consecutive titles.
Despite controversy trailing his national team career at almost every turn, Zendejas’s speed and decisiveness – and most of all his form – look likely to keep him firmly in Pochettino’s thoughts going into a critical year.
Pochettino used Zendejas in both games against Jamaica in November (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Before switching allegiance a final time, Zendejas played for first the U.S. and then Mexico at youth level, where paperwork irregularities caused by his failure to file a one-time switch led to the Mexican federation being hit with FIFA fines and forced to forfeit five games.
Born in Mexico but raised in Texas, he came through the ranks at FC Dallas before moving to Guadalajara to join Liga MX giants Chivas in 2016. As recently as October he indicated he would be open to playing for Mexico again – a bizarre comment given that he has long since been locked into representing only the U.S. at senior level moving forwards.
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He was used as a late sub by Pochettino in both USMNT recent games against Jamaica in the Nations League, but did not have enough time to impress significantly in either.
Zendejas was also linked with a move to the LA Galaxy last year, but as one of the most dynamic players in Liga MX over the past season, his options for a lucrative move, or an enhanced contract with America, will have increased.
(Top photo: Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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