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United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann said dual Mexico-U.S. citizen Jesse Gonzalez, the 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 goalkeeper for FC Dallas, must "follow his heart" when deciding his national team allegiances. The 20-year-old Mexican-American verbally accepted Klinsmann's invite to the U.S. annual January camp last month, then changed his mind and joined El Tri's Olympic-bound U23 team instead. "He told me that for the moment he is happy playing there [with Mexico] and I told him that was fine," Klinsmann told ESPN Deportes on Wednesday. "It is no easy decision but, like other players who have two options, he must do what his heart tells him to do." Sources told ESPN that Gonzalez, who was a key player in Dallas' run to the MLS Western Conference final, didn't inform U.S. Soccer of the switch in plans until after the squad was named, which reportedly didn't sit well with Klinsmann. Gonzalez was born in North Carolina and raised in Texas to a father from Toluca and mother from the Mexican state of Nayarit. He has tweeted various messages about how he hopes to make a difference for the Mexico U23 team. U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann set a young roster for the Americans' annual, month-long, year-opening training camp in Carson, California, that will conclude with friendlies there against Iceland on Jan. 31 and five days later versus Canada.
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