Junior Flores declines El Salvador call-up

Junior Flores is one of the best young players the United States has, but he is also of El Salvador descent and his parents' homeland wanted to see him suit up for their national team. But he won't.

Flores declined a call-up to play for the El Salvador senior team, opting instead to stay with the U.S., according to Steven Goff. The teenager would have played for El Salvador in friendlies against the Ivory Coast and Spain had he accepted the call-up.

Flores has played for the U.S. at the youth levels, coming through each age group of the American national teams and participating in the U-17 residential academy at Bradenton. He was so good there that he was offered a MLS contract at 16 years old, but he also had interest from several big European clubs and he eventually opted to sign for Borussia Dortmund.

Because of labor laws, Flores couldn't join Dortmund permanently until he turned 18, but he was apparently excellent as soon as he got to the club and was promoted to BVB II, the Dortmund reserve team. That is where he will play next season, in the third division, but he will also have the chance to train with the first team upon occasion.