In all likelihood, he wouldn’t have entered the mix for a 2018 World Cup roster slot had he not beaten out thousands of hopefuls in winning a nationally televised talent search.

In a sport brimming with colorful backgrounds and exceptional journeys, Villafaña cut an uncommon path.

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“It’s good memories,” he said Sunday, “to look back and see where it started.”

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Long before he played nine seasons in MLS, culminating with a league title in Portland and earning a transfer to Mexico’s Santos Laguna, Villafaña was a kid of two countries who went by his father’s family name: Flores.

He was born in Anaheim, Calif., but left with his mother for Mexico when he was 1. Four years later, when she returned to the United States for work, Jorge stayed with extended family in Penjamo, a town in Guanajuato state.

He learned soccer playing in the streets with friends and cousins, collecting the ball and scrambling for safety when a car approached.

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When he was 15, he joined his mother, Juanita, in Southern California. He didn’t speak English and was ill-prepared for the academic demands.

“The only thing that made me happy was waiting until the end of school,” he said Sunday in fluent English, “to play soccer with my friends.”

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He played for Anaheim High and a local youth club known as Juventus. With his skills maturing, he tried out for the academy run by MLS’s Chivas USA. He was told to work on his game and come back in six months.

His confidence bruised, Jorge, 17, was less than enthusiastic about another tryout with a funny name, Sueño MLS, created by the league in 2007 to identify prospects and provide a narrative for a show on Univision, the Spanish-language TV giant.

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His mother and uncle persuaded him to skip the work outing at the church. Without advanced registration, Jorge arrived at the field to wait for a slot to open. One did. Among some 2,000 hopefuls, he made the initial cut. He was then invited back to train with Chivas USA’s under-19 squad and ultimately was crowned the first Sueño (Dream) champion.

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The prize was a place in Chivas USA’s academy. By the summer, he had earned a pro contract and a nickname that, a decade later, has stuck: “Sueño.”

A midfielder and defender, he appeared in 86 league matches and started 63 times over seven years. He played for U.S. youth national teams.

In 2011, as a surprise for the woman who believed in him, he legally changed his name to hers: Villafaña. “It’s emotional because my mom means everything,” he said.

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Two years later, Chivas traded him to the Portland Timbers, where he started all but one game during the 2015 championship campaign. Next: a step up to Liga MX to play for Santos Laguna. Over 15 months, Villafaña has started 38 games across all competitions, a feat noted by new U.S. Coach Bruce Arena, who extended an invitation to a winter camp otherwise designed for MLS candidates.

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After debuting as a substitute against Serbia, Villafaña received his first U.S. start five days later against Jamaica.

“I always have the love for both countries,” he said of the United States and Mexico. “But I’ll tell you, when I stepped on the field [in Chattanooga] and heard the national anthem, it was very emotional for me. I was really proud.”

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Short on depth at the outside back positions, Arena turned to him again when he assembled a broader roster for World Cup qualifiers. Villafaña played all 90 minutes against Honduras. Arena might turn to DaMarcus Beasley, a veteran of four World Cups and 33 qualifiers, for the away test against Panama on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, Villafaña has proved he belongs.