MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s world cup It is possible that we owe a considerable debt to our northern neighbor.
The country already has Mexican-American players on past World Cup squads, but El Tri could have as many as four players born and raised in the United States in 2026.
“My playing in the World Cup will have a huge impact on Mexican-Americans,” the midfielder said. Brian Gutierrezborn in Berwyn, Illinois, was selected to Tuesday’s World Cup squad. “It’s going to be really exciting.”
In addition to Gutierrez, Chivas teammate Richie Ledesma, a Phoenix-born midfielder and right back, Obed Vargas, a midfielder from Anchorage, Alaska, and Julián Araujo, a right back from Lompoc, California, could join the Mexican squad.
Coach Javier Aguirre this week announced part of his World Cup roster, which will be made up entirely of Liga MX players. Ledezma was not included, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be on the 26-man roster that coach Aguirre will announce on June 1, 11 days before the game. Tournament opening game South Africa match.
Vargas, who plays for Atlético Madrid, and Araujo, who plays for Glasgow Celtic, will have to wait along with Ledezma. Araujo has been training alone this week at a facility in Mexico, despite not having a guaranteed place to stay.
“I’m Mexican, and I feel great about this flag, this country, and being here in Guadalajara,” Ledesma said. “It is an honor and a dream of mine to play in the World Cup in the country where my parents were born.”
Gutierrez played two games for the U.S. national team, Ledesma and Araujo played one game each before switching teams, and all four games were for the U.S. U-23 and U-20 teams. All four found themselves far back on the American charts.
Aragua made his Mexican debut in 2021, becoming the third player to appear for the U.S. and Mexican first teams, following Martín Vázquez and Edgar Castillo. Vargas debuted in 2024, while Ledesma and Gutierrez debuted in January of this year.
Mexico has never had more than two Mexican-Americans play in a World Cup.
Two Californians, Isaac “Conesito” Brizuela and Miguel “Pocho” Ponce, represented Mexico at the 2014 Brazil Games.
Brizuela was born in San Jose, California, moved to Mexico when he was 2 years old, and played 16 years in the Mexican League before contemplating retirement.
Ponce, who was born in Sacramento, California, also returned to Mexico as a child after her mother was deported. She worked as a housekeeper in Sacramento.
Ponce, who helped Mexico win the gold medal in men’s soccer at the 2012 Olympics, said, “I was so young that I don’t remember, but my mother told me about my deportation.My father stayed behind and returned to Mexico, so it was tough.We met again a few years later.”
Gutierrez, 22, played for the United States in a friendly against Venezuela and Costa Rica in January 2025.
Ledesma, 25, played for the United States at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and made one first-team appearance in a friendly against Panama on November 16, 2020. Right anterior cruciate ligament tear In December 2020, he continued his contract with PSV Eindhoven.
Araujo represented the United States in a friendly match against El Salvador in December 2020.
Ledesma joined Chivas from PSV last summer, while Gutierrez joined from Chicago Fire this year.
“After the MLS season ended, I was looking for another opportunity and Chivas came along. It was a dream come true,” Gutierrez told The Associated Press. “It was meant to be. It was bound to happen. I’m glad it’s happening now.”
Playing under the Chivas spotlight allowed both players to reach the Mexican national team faster, but they had already been contacted by Mexico’s youth team coach, Andres Lilini.
The same applies to Vargas, with Araujo already called up in 2021 when Argentine Gerardo Martino was in charge of Mexico.
“Scouting is the basis of any development process. That’s why I came to the national team,” said Lilini, who previously worked as a scout at CSKA Moscow. “All eligible Mexican players with the necessary skill level should come here, and we decided to start in the United States.”
As part of Lilini’s and Mexican federation’s plans, there could be a greater presence of Mexican-American players in the future. The last call-up for the U-16 national team featured six U.S.-born players.
Lilini initially focused on its northern neighbor, but expanded recruitment to include children of Mexican parents living in Europe. He has already contacted 30 players from overseas.
“Every federation in the world is doing that, we needed to do it too,” Lilini said.
Some fans and analysts believe that the Mexican national team should consist only of Mexican-born players.
When Ponce and Brizuela participated in the World Cup, there was no discussion as both were substitutes, and Brizuela’s nationality was only revealed after the tournament.
In other sports, such as baseball, it is common for players of Mexican descent to be on the national team. At the last World Baseball Classic, 10 of the 30 players on the Mexican team were born in the United States.
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