Top 5 Young Mexican-American Players in MLS
It is no secret that U.S soccer has recently found great success in cultivating and exporting young talent to European leagues, making tremendous strides in just a few short years. Certainly, more strides than their neighbors down south in Mexico. While the U.S has sent more talent overseas than Mexico since the debut of Christian Pulisic with Borussia Dortmund, truly a catalyst for the ensuing demand for U.S prospects, there remains a talent pool that has ties to both federations yet still has not been fully claimed by either. That talent pool is that of the Mexican-American in U.S soccer.
This previously untapped demographic has recently been of more interest by both the U.S and Mexico. The benefit these players have is they are eligible to play for either federation should their talents amount to such merits. The decision to choose between which federation to represent can be a complicated one, a topic that is out of scope for this article, but so who can decide where to develop one’s talent. Some players opt to develop themselves in Liga MX, while others decide to stay “home” and develop themselves in MLS. The latter has shown that they are perhaps more well equipped to accommodate such players, so let’s focus on their current prospects. The top 5 young Mexican-American players in MLS are as follows:
- Efrain Alvarez– The 18-year old LA native and LA Galaxy Academy product are perhaps the most well-known of our Top 5. The young Alvarez had a breakout season with USL side LA Galaxy-II at the age of 15 in 2017 and was subsequently brought up to the MLS squad the following year. Although he did not make his LA Galaxy debut until 2019, since then the youngster has been very promising, even earning high praise from Zlatan during the time they were teammates. Though he has yet to secure a starting role with his club, he has been a key piece in the Mexico U-17 team and has received a call-up to the U.S Men’s National Team training camp on more than one occasion. He is a player that is already catching the eye of both federations, and although he has stated he prefers to pursue a future with the Mexican National Team, he has recently been open to the U.S Men’s Teams advances and invitations to camps.
2. Julian Araujo– Another young Mexican-American product that makes our list is the Lompoc, CA native, Julian Araujo. He also began his career with the LA Galaxy and has now as a 19-year-old for the most part consolidated himself as a starter with the team. During this recent winter transfer window, he was even rumored to have received interest from Tottenham and Juventus as potential suitors. In the end, nothing concrete came of this but it is only a matter of time before he becomes the next American to leap to Europe. Araujo for his part has been more receptive of the U.S Men’s National Team although, in the past, Mexico’s Tata Martino has expressed interest in the young Araujo.
3. Ricardo Pepi– Next up on our list is Ricardo Pepi of FC Dallas. The now 18-year-old made his debut for the Texan team at age 16 in 2019. Last year fans were able to see a glimpse of what he can do, scoring a few clutch goals, the most important being one scored during stoppage time of their playoff match against Portland. This goal tied things up for Dallas and eventually sent them into a penalty shootout which they would win. Throughout this time, the striker born in Texas has featured prominently for the U.S National team in their youth teams, most noticeably in the U-17 team during the 2019 U-17 World Cup. Before this, Pepi did assist Mexico youth training camps and has indicated that while he feels like the U.S has definitely shown him more appreciation thus far, he still has his doors open for a Mexico National Team call-up.
4. Frankie Amaya– The 2019 MLS SuperDraft No. 1 Overall pick, Frankie Amaya, is a must-watch in our list of Top 5 Mexican-American’s in MLS. The native of Santa Ana, CA has played two years in MLS now with FC Cincinnati, the team that drafted him out of college (UCLA). In those two years, Frankie has solidified himself as a key player in FC Cincinnati’s midfield, starting in all his appearances during this past 2020 season. Currently, the youngster’s future in Cincinnati is in question as he has recently requested a trade from the club, stating that he does not feel the club is fully committed to his professional growth. Whether he remains in Cincy or not, he’ll be an impact wherever he goes. The same can be said of the national team. He has featured for the U.S U-20 team already and was set to feature for the USMNT in late 2020 but he, unfortunately, contracted Covid and was removed from the squad. Being the son of Mexican parents, he still has the option of featuring for Mexico as well, should the opportunity come knocking.
5. Julian Vazquez– Rounding out our Top 5 is Julian Vazquez of Real Salt Lake. The native of Utah has played mostly in Real’s USL affiliate, Real Monarchs, but even still, he’s already garnered the attention of the Mexican federation as he was called up to Mexico’s U-20 roster in early 2020. It would seem that Vazquez is following in the steps of another famous, Mexican, Real Salt Lake Homegrown player: Carlos Salcedo. Currently, Vasquez is a free agent after two years with Real Salt Lake, similar timing to Salcedo’s exit from the Utah team, just after two years. In the end, things worked out for Salcedo in his departure, and there is little doubt that they will also work out for Julian Vasquez as well. The striker showed talent during his tenure, and while the unfortunate situation that Real is currently in with the imminent sale of the team has left the young Vazquez as a free agent, he is sure to be picked up by a team before the start of the 2021 MLS season.
Our list is by no means exhaustive, nor final. It will continue to grow, shift, and change as more Mexican- American talent is mined in the United States and as MLS starts taking full advantage of that. Some teams may have a head start and certainly benefit from being close to the largest concentration of Mexican Americans in the country (such as California and Texas, hence the success of LA Galaxy and FC Dallas in this front) but it is not exclusive to just the “hometown” teams. As others pick up on the talent of the Mexican American, teams such as Real Salt Lake and Cincinnati among others will start looking towards these players as ones they can develop into future stars. This of course is great news for the Mexican and U.S federations who are closely watching, and quietly competing.
