Alejandro Zendejas: the first player from United States to win Liga MX with Chivas and América

Club América are the champions of Liga MX. Las Águilas beat Tigres 3-0 in extra-time to win their fourteenth title in Mexican soccer. One of the more important players for América in their win was the USMNT winger, Alejandro Zendejas, who made history as he held the famous trophy aloft, becoming the first player born in the US to become a two-time Liga MX champion with the country’s biggest sides.

One of the great traditions that Chivas have is playing with Mexican stars in their side. Despite this historical quirk, Zendejas, the ex-Chivas forward who chose to represent the Stars and Stripes, can boast of being the only player ever to be crowned champion with Mexico’s top two sides.

Zendejas reveals US allegiance

Zendejas Saavedra was born in Ciudad Juárez on February 7, 1998. However, after having represented Mexico in a friendly match against Ecuador on October 27, 2021, he changed his decision and decided to don the colours of the USMNT.

“They asked me about the national teams at that time, and I replied in terms of the national teams. Today I believe that the United States [national team] is one step ahead of Mexico’s. I have played with the United States since I was a child, I trained there, I started my professional career there and those were the reasons why I chose the United States” he revealed just earlier this year at a press conference.s

The 25-year-old has played 116 games in Mexican football (61 with Club América, 50 with Necaxa and 8 with Chivas). Despite not being a starter for Chivas, Zendejas was part of the famous side team that beat Tigres in the Clausura 2017 final.

New objectives in sight for Zendejas

With this title win, Zendejas closes out a year in which he won a title at the club level, and now he has national team objectives in sight: the winger has been a key part of the USMNT side that made it through in the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals.

Despite having chosen the United States in order to play at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Zendejas was one of the players left out of Gregg Berhalter’s side for the tournament that was held at the end of 2022.

Today, Zendejas has a new goal: The North American forward will seek to recover his best form in order to be considered for the national team for the Copa América campaign that will be played in the United States in 2024, as well as compete in his first World Cup, in 2026.