Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 8y

Chivas' Alejandro Zendejas won't play for United States - Matias Almeyda

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Winger Alejandro Zendejas will not be playing for the U.S. national team while he is at Chivas, coach Matias Almeyda confirmed on Wednesday.

Former U.S. under-17 and under-20 international Zendejas made the move to the club last month. But Chivas only fields Mexican players and those that choose to represent the Mexican national team, meaning dual national Zendejas had to decide to ditch his development within U.S. Soccer.

"I believe he's already resigned," Almeyda said on Wednesday in a Guadalajara press conference. "If he came here he had to resign."

Almeyda explained that he had been following Zendejas -- who was born in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico -- for a while and that he was a project for the future.

"The chance came to bring him [to Chivas] knowing that he'd have to resign from [the U.S. national team], in which he'd already played," added Almeyda. "But it is sorted so that he can some day play for the Mexican national team, if God wills."

Chivas accept Mexican-American dual nationals in their ranks as long as they have one Mexican parent and are therefore considered Mexican at birth, according to the constitution.

Zendejas made a total of eight MLS appearances for FC Dallas in 2015, but didn't feature this year. He has been training at Chivas with the first-team squad so far this preseason.

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