Club America's Ventura Alvarado turns down USMNT calls, hopes to play for Mexico

Ventura Alvarado has been a United States target for years. It started at the youth level and has continued to now, with the 22-year-old defender starting to crack the Club America team. But he has never played for the U.S., and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Alvarado was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, but moved to Mexico to join Club America at the age of 15 and has always dreamed of playing for El Tri. So when the U.S. came calling at the youth level, he said no.

According to Televisa Deportes, Alvarado has been contacted by U.S. Soccer several times, but has always stated that he is not interested. Even as he fails to get interest from Mexico -- he has never played for them at any level -- Alvarado is still waiting for El Tri.

Alvarado is too old for the 2016 Olympics too so he can only be called up for the senior at this point. That is a big ask for a player who just made his first start of the Liga MX season this weekend in a meaningless match as America had already clinched the top seed for the Liguilla.

It makes sense that the U.S. would be interested in Alvarado. They are desperate for centerbacks and, at 21 years old, Alvarado is a promising one. He is tall enough and rather quick with good ball skills, making him a good fit for the style Jurgen Klinsmann has been trying to implement. But if the dual national isn't interested, that won't mean much.

Mexico has a glut of talent right now, and they aren't short on centerback options so Alvarado may have to wait a while before he plays for Mexico. He certainly has talent, and may very well wear the Mexico colors one day, but it doesn't look immiment.

It's rare that Klinsmann misses out on a dual national. He has been so successful luring them to the U.S. since taking over as manager, but it is also unclear how much of a priority Alvarado is and how much time Klinsmann has personally put into recruiting him. Regardless, Alvarado seems dead set on Mexico so it may not matter. Playing for El Tri is his dream and it's tough to change dreams.