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According to ESPN’s Herculez Gomez, the Mexican Football Federation is making a strong push to convince 16-year-old Efrain Alvarez to pledge his international future to Mexico.
Gomez suggests that Alvarez could be selected for El Tri’s 2019 Gold Cup squad. If Alvarez were to appear in a match at the tournament, he would be cap-tied to Mexico.
Will @efrain_alvarez1 end up with Mexico or the USMNT?
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 5, 2019
FMF is in direct contact w/ his family and could be cap tied this Gold Cup.
But.. I still feel it’s very much in the air. *cough* @ussoccer https://t.co/r1h9EezSrs
However, Gomez believes that Alvarez is still undecided about whether to represent the U.S. or Mexico. Alvarez made his MLS debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy this past weekend, notching an assist in a 2-1 win against the Chicago Fire.
Alvarez is a highly touted youth prospect who came up through the Galaxy Academy. The attacking midfielder spent the 2018 season with LA Galaxy II in the USL (now known as the USL Championship). During that season, he scored 12 goals and recorded 3 assists in 17 appearances.
Alvarez was born in Los Angeles, California to Mexican parents and is therefore eligible to represent either the U.S. or Mexico. He began his youth international career with the U.S. U-15 side in 2016, before switching to Mexico’s U-15s in 2017. He has also made one appearance for Mexico’s U-17 side.
In July 2018, despite representing Mexico at the time, Alvarez stated that he hadn’t definitively chosen which national team to play for.