As Zac mentioned last week, FC Dallas is mid-way through a two-leg CONACAF Champions League semifinal showdown against Mexican league powerhouses Pachuca. That FC Dallas has gone one up against their Mexican league rivals is notable enough, given the length of time since a MLS team has gone this deep into the CONACAF Champions League. But what also makes the series particularly interesting is that one of the stars of the Mexican side is Oak Cliff-native and Skyline High School graduate Omar Gonzalez.
Gonzalez joined the Mexican side after becoming a breakout star in the MLS with the L.A. Galaxy. But the center midfielder was drawn to Mexico’s Liga MX for the same reasons many of the best American-born players have been immigrating south for sports: better pay, tougher competition, as well as some irony. Gonzalez faced taking a pay cut in L.A. because the team was signing Mexican international star Giovanni del Santos, so Gonzalez, who represents the U.S. in international competition, moved to Mexico.
Last month, the Guardian posted at mini-doc about Gonzalez and other U.S.-born soccer players who are part this sporting trend. Gonzalez, the Guardian reports, “represents the pinnacle of success” with regards to U.S.-born players competing in Mexico. Many of the other players who migrate south as youth players to take advantage of the Mexican league’s more rigorous club training system.
FC Dallas and Pachuca won’t face-off again until April 4, a match that will determine which team will play in the CONACAF Champions League final. In the meantime, the dual-citizen Gonzalez is in the Bay Area this week where he is training with the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of this Friday’s important World Cup qualifying match against Honduras. Also on the U.S. roster for this week’s match is Michael Orozco, who came up through the youth program of the Mexican side San Luis.
In light of the recent political rhetoric surrounding U.S.-Mexico relations, the mini-doc shows how the world of sports offers a different picture of U.S.-Mexico relations — an interconnected relationship characterized by mutual dependency, opportunity, and respect. You can watch it below:
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