Alejandro Zendejas is arguably the most important player for the biggest team in North American soccer.
Since arriving to Mexico City giants Club América in 2022, the FC Dallas academy product has been a revelation. His efforts have helped cement three Liga MX titles with Las Águilas, and when including all competitions, that trophy haul then extends to five.
Selected as a member of the Best XI for the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2024 and Player of the Month earlier this year in Liga MX -- a league whose top teams are the powerhouses of the continent -- the 27-year-old native of El Paso, Texas, has been nothing short of exceptional.
Zendejas' reward? Watching the U.S. men's national team from afar as they take part in this summer's Gold Cup.
When head coach Mauricio Pochettino revealed his MLS-heavy roster shorn of marquee attacking names such as Christian Pulisic, Timothy Weah and Giovanni Reyna, Zendejas seemed perfectly suited to guide the backup squad that didn't have many key players. Leaving the winger out ensured zero representation for Liga MX, a league that was once a vital source of talent for the USMNT.
Twelve years ago, at the 2013 Gold Cup, the U.S. had six players from Mexico's first division. A handful of players were also added in the two following Gold Cup tournaments, as well as at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
But that fútbol influence is now diminishing.
Why is a game-changing América starter like Zendejas still left out? And with no Liga MX player currently in the picture, when so many prominent figures are missing at the Gold Cup, what has happened to the Liga MX-USMNT connection?
Starring for América, left out by America
"He's going to play on June 1 [with América] against [LAFC] to see if he qualifies for the Club World Cup, so he's a player where there was a risk to consider him," Pochettino told members of the media when asked why Zendejas wasn't included in a USMNT training camp ahead of the Gold Cup.
"We considered him, but the risk was that if they won that match, they would be the ones who would be available to play [at the Club World Cup]."
América went on to lose that Club World Cup play-in match, thereby leaving a window of time for Zendejas to be chosen by Pochettino, who then didn't select him. Despite Pochettino stating that the Texan was "considered," it's worth noting that the América player wasn't called up to the 23-man Concacaf Nations League roster in March.
It becomes even more of a head-scratching decision when considering the lack of wingers at Pochettino's disposal for the 4-2-3-1 lineup he's preferred in this tournament. Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan and Jack McGlynn all have played in wide attacking roles this summer -- Tillman, Aaronson and Sullivan historically have operated more centrally, while McGlynn is a traditional central midfielder.
"It sucks, man. I've watched Zendejas," Sebastian Saucedo, who has had runs in both Liga MX and MLS while representing the U.S. youth national team, said to ESPN. "You know how big América is in Mexico, you know what I mean? For him to perform like that ... I don't know, I think that Zendejas deserves more."
Alejandro Guido, a former player in both Liga MX and MLS who was called up to the USMNT in 2018 while with Tijuana, was also perplexed by Zendejas' omission.
"He's playing for if not the biggest club in North America and doing a great job," said the now FC Cincinnati 2 assistant coach. "Being a foreign player, winning titles. I mean, I just don't know another player that's been doing that as consistently in MLS."
One possible reason for Zendejas' absence? His USMNT performances haven't mirrored his brilliant form in Mexico.
Last season, Zendejas provided an impressive tally of 22 goal contributions (goals plus assists) across 3,063 minutes of play, one every 139.2 minutes. In a much smaller sample size for the USMNT, that production drops to two goal contributions across a total of 511 minutes since his 2023 debut, one every 255.5 minutes.
"I'm a big believer in Zendejas and his level in Liga MX, but certainly when we're talking about the U.S. men's national team, he's not exactly showered himself in glory," said Herculez Gomez, an ESPN analyst and former USMNT striker that played in both MLS and Liga MX. "Do I think he's done enough to merit call-ups? Absolutely. Do I think it's a mistake if they leave him off? I don't know ... He's one of those players that when he's played for the national team, you've seen glimpses, but he's never really had that type of performance where you could say, 'This is why he needs to be here.'"
Is Liga MX a viable developmental league?
Aside from Zendejas, why haven't other U.S.-eligible players stepped up from Liga MX? That may simply be due to the current numbers.
Of the 16 American players in Liga MX in 2024-25, only 22-year-old FC Juarez full back Ralph Orquin (now back at América after his loan spell with Juarez) was as frequent of a starter for his club side as Zendejas. After those two names, the U.S. list then ranges from rotational options to scarce minutes. Coupled with a growing MLS and more players landing in Europe, it's perhaps not a shock that Liga MX's USMNT influence is at a low point.
"[Orquin] should be given an opportunity, you see a lot of new MLS guys getting an opportunity," Saucedo said. "These guys should get one too, but there is a lack of Mexican-Americans in Mexico that used to play at a top level like Joe [Corona], like Ventura [Alvarado]."
Guido has seen firsthand how the gap between Liga MX and MLS isn't as great as it once was. Before going pro across the border with Tijuana in 2012, the San Diegan at first considered signing with the Colorado Rapids before ultimately deciding that Liga MX would be better for his career.
"I could just tell the level wasn't the same as in Mexico," said the FC Cincy 2 assistant. But now? "It's a lot different, man. It's a lot better, and yes, I would be considering if I was starting [my career today] to play in the U.S."
As seen in the aforementioned lack of minutes for many U.S. players in Mexico, it's difficult to make your mark in a Liga MX whose split seasons emphasizes short-term goals at the expense of long-term development. While that condensed format leads to unpredictable and entertaining soccer, it also means that many managers aren't willing to take chances on the younger generation when needing to find success in such limited timeframes.
"You know the landscape in Liga MX, young players don't get much opportunity," Gomez said. "Liga MX doesn't really prioritize their youth."
Alianza, the largest amateur grassroots soccer program in the United States for Latinos, has also seen a developing trend with MLS being able to provide more pathways in players' own backyards.
For years, the program was dominated by Liga MX scouts who would offer pathways for budding U.S. stars through the Mexican league. That's changing.
"We love all the scouts from Liga MX and they're always big supporters and they continue to show up to our events, but there has definitely been a shift with more and more MLS teams coming to our events," Daina Lecuona, a director at Alianza, said to ESPN. "There's a lot of these players that were slipping through the cracks previously that were landing up in Liga MX teams, but now that [MLS] academies are getting more and more well funded ... now you have more and more pumping funding into the academy system, so they're sending scouts or being able to canvas a lot wider of an area.
On "The Football Reporters" podcast, Jeff Carlisle gauges how USMNT fans are feeling about Mauricio Pochettino's time in charge of the team.
"The pathway in the U.S. is such a great thing right now, and it wasn't the case 10 to 15 years ago."
For now, at the Gold Cup, that pathway seems to be working for the USMNT.
With plenty of MLS options stepping up, Pochettino and his men earned three consecutive victories in the group stage and recently defeated Costa Rica on penalties in a dramatic quarterfinal clash. Although they've battled through some close calls, few could complain about a goal differential of +7 through 360 minutes of play.
All that said, the stakes and competition will be much higher in the latter stages of the knockouts for a group of players that still has plenty to prove. For many of these MLS-based options, the intensity and expectations might be something they've never experienced before in a league that's growing, but still developing.
In Liga MX, meanwhile, there are certain intangibles that can be gleaned by a decisive attacker like Zendejas, who has shined in a league that not only has a significant amount of history but also an ongoing domination of the region with 19 of the last 20 Concacaf club titles. And when things inevitably become difficult for Pochettino's men in the Gold Cup's latter stages, Zendejas' experience may have proven invaluable.
"Playing in the [Estadio] Azteca against Cruz Azul is very different from playing in MLS, there's still that component that you can't find in MLS," Guido said. "The way you mature, the way you adapt to a different culture, it's just going there and thinking exclusively about soccer and leaving your family to pursue your dream ... it's definitely more challenging and I do agree that it brings a different sense of maturity to a player."
Saucedo agreed, and despite no current spot for a Liga MX player in the USMNT, the winger still hopes to see others following in his and Zendejas' footsteps.
"The way I saw it was, I'm gonna go and sacrifice, going away from home, going and seeing what it's like to play at one of the biggest clubs in Mexico ... everything that I experienced, I soaked it in," he said. "I wish I could see more kids sacrifice ... giving it a try."