Rising U.S. soccer prospect Jesse Gonzalez chooses Mexico national team

Martin Rogers | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Sports on the Border: American-born goalkeeper chooses heritage over homeland Promising, young MLS goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez has made the decision to represent Mexico over the United States in international play.

FRISCO, Texas — There is a game the goalkeepers and coaches of FC Dallas play at the end of practice, designed to sharpen the mind and speed the hands. A tight circle forms and each participant must parry the ball as it flies toward them one hand before deflecting it to a teammate with the other.

Mesmerizing to watch and apparently enjoyable to play judging by the whoops of laughter on a recent weekday morning, it gives the illusion of a multi-performer juggling act.

Jesse Gonzalez, a tall, handsome 22-year-old who might have been the United States’ goalkeeper of the future, is remarkably good at the training routine, but that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Gonzalez is used to juggling something far weightier — the soccer soul of two nations.

“His heart,” said Gonzalez’s childhood friend and now Dallas teammate Victor Ulloa, “was torn in two.”

Gonzalez was born in North Carolina, grew up in Houston and then the greater Dallas area and came through the American youth system before landing in Major League Soccer. Yet he recently made it clear that the object of his desire when it comes to international representation is Mexico, birthplace of his parents Jose Luis Gonzalez and Evelia Gudina.

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FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja, a meticulous Colombian soccer guru whose own playing career flashed with intricate skill and delicate control, has became a sounding board for Gonzalez over recent months.

“It was a difficult decision for him,” Pareja said. “He had his whole family, his roots, all his past, belong to a country, (That) means a lot, but at the same time (he has) been growing in America.

“We spoke a few times about it and when it came to a decision he (had) to choose. My suggestion to him was to let the heart guide – and that’s not going to be a mistake.”

The choice faced by Gonzalez was effectively a hypothetical one, as players eligible for two countries are not tied to either until they represent one in a senior national team game.

However, given that the rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico in soccer made the decision resemble the Montagues vs. the Capulets, it was wise to get it over and done with. Gonzalez, having already played for Mexico at the under-20 and under-23 levels, stated he would pursue selection for El Tri, rather than the red, white and blue.

On June 11 the regional hostilities will commence again, with Mexico knowing that a victory over its fiercest enemy at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City would cause a serious blow to the Americans' chances of reaching next summer’s World Cup.

That game is both too soon and too big for Gonzalez right now, but indications from south of the border are that Mexico will swiftly seek to give him a call up to tie him to its program and make any change of heart moot.

Not that a shift in stance is likely.

Gonzalez emerges from the noisy and upbeat home locker room with a shy smile but a firm handshake. He doesn’t love interviews, and when he made his pick he knew that pleasing everybody would impossible.

“I am thankful for everything in America, and that’s where I grew up,” he said, flicking a lock of hair away from his forehead. “At this point in my life I am not losing respect for America but sometimes my family reminds me they’re all Mexican and I always grew up with that in my heart.

“America has given us a lot but being a Mexican is always something special for us. The thing is you have to respect both countries. I am a Mexican-American. That’s who I am.”

What is the American dream if it is not freedom of choice? That is the kind of thing Jose Luis Gonzalez strived for when he arrived in America from Toluca at 15, picking oranges and watermelons to make ends meet, and years later borrowing money to help Jesse meet the costs of his soccer development.

Even over the telephone, Jose Luis’ pride in Jesse’s career shines through in the way you’d expect from a man who never misses one of his son’s home games.

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“We came from the bottom,” Jose Luis said. “We had to struggle for a long time but seeing Jesse become a professional player is amazing for our family. He is proud to be an American and he is proud to be Mexican too. America has been great to us.”

If the decision had been different, if Jesse had picked the U.S. instead, there would have been no complaint from Jose Luis. Even now, he suggests that if U.S. head coach Bruce Arena came in with a surprise call it could spark a fresh chain of events. However, the lure of Jesse’s cultural upbringing is likely too strong.

“I grew up watching the Mexican league,” the goalkeeper said, getting briefly nostalgic as he recalled idolizing Mexico’s legendary former national team goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez. “We’d all gather, someone cooks tamales and we all have fun. If you are watching a live TV game everybody is passionate, you see all the fans yelling.

“Soccer in the U.S. is growing a lot. In Mexico it has already (grown). (There) every kid wants to be a soccer player and follows it.”

Pareja said he believes Gonzalez has all the tools to go as far as his work ethic and determination will carry him. The coach initially interspersed his starts with those of veteran Chris Seitz, an arrangement that proved effective and especially beneficial to the younger man, making the learning curve a little less acute.

Now, with Dallas sitting third in the Western Conference standings, Gonzalez looks to have won the job.

Tim Howard, 38, remains the national team’s goalkeeping incumbent and though there are contenders for the role once he is done, no slam-dunk international stars are yet coming through.

If Gonzalez continues at his current rate of progress, it could be that the U.S. has missed out on a gem, something that may rankle with patriotic supporters down the road.

But this was Jesse Gonzalez’s choice and his right alone to make it. Whether clad in Mexican colors or not, his future will still be an American story, even if his dream looks a little different.