Football
9y

Ventura Alvarado says he's committed to United States over Mexico

This story has been corrected. An earlier version quoted Ventura Alvarado as saying he had already spoken to Miguel Herrera. They have not spoken recently.

ZURICH -- Ventura Alvarado's 10-minute cameo against Denmark didn't tie him to the U.S. team, but the Mexican-American defender told ESPN FC on Friday that he's committed to representing the United States.

Wednesday's 3-2 loss in Aarhus was only a friendly, and Alvarado, a starter with Liga MX juggernaut Club America, remains eligible to play for Mexico. He'd been on the fence about which national team to choose as recently as last month, a position that drew criticism from former Yanks striker Herculez Gomez.

But after the Americans trained here ahead of next week's match against Switzerland, the Phoenix native said that despite pressure from his family, his club teammates and even El Tri coach Miguel Herrera, his mind is made up.

"I want to stay here," Alvarado said. "I was happy to wear this jersey and I'm really motivated to be here and keep working. I'm looking forward to getting another call-up."

Alvarado broke into Club America's starting lineup last fall and helped the Aguilas win the Mexican title. That caught the attention of Klinsmann, who signaled his interest when called to congratulate the 22-year-old after his breakout season.

Still, the choice to play for the U.S. wasn't straightforward.

"I was undecided, because my parents, they're Mexican," Alvarado said. "They wanted me to go with Mexico."

They weren't alone.

"My teammates at Club America, they all wanted me to wait for the Mexican national team," he said.

Herrera, former coach for the Aguilas, told ESPN.mx last month that he hadn't decided whether to bring Alvarado in.

Alvarado said he hasn't spoken to Herrera, but his Club America teammates told him they would try to talk the El Tri manager into bringing Alvarado to the Mexican side.

Alvarardo said his teammates told him: ''We're going talk to the coach, he'll probably call you up." But he told them, "No, I want to go with the U.S."

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