Hugo Sanchez did it. He made so much noise about foreign-born players when Zinha and Guille Franco were brought in during the old regime but now he's gone ahead and called up a foreigner.And an American to boot.
Lost in the shuffle over the Mexican league's Apertura 2007 season was the young squad Sanchez called in to represent El Tricolor in Denver on Wednesday against Colombia. Among the relatively inexperienced side as Edgar Castillo who plays with Santos. The 20-year-old was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, well north of the Rio Grande.
Castillo has done well with Santos Laguna as he appeared in 18 total games between league and playoffs. He started 12 games and appeared in 1,163 minutes. This season, he's gone the distance in Santos' three games - all wins.
Now, I don't know a lot about Castillo's background or where he got his start in soccer. He did come up through Santos' youth system but before that I'm not sure. But Castillo could be a trailblazer. After all, the Mexican population in the United States took off in the 80s and children born during that span are getting to their late teens/early 20s. Santos in fact poached another young American, Sonny Guadarrama, a 19-year-old who has played briefly for Santos the last two seasons.
Both Castillo and Guadarrama have Mexican passports so they don't technically count as foreigners. But Castillo and Guadarrama were both born in the United States and somehow found their way to Mexico to, in Castillo's case, represent his parents' birthplace.
13 comments:
It's only with Chivas - Club Deportive Guadalajara - that the birthplace would matter. For Chivas - a player has to be born in Mexico to be a part of that squad. With the national team, citizenship is all that is required.
I guess its speaks to the quality inside the US that these kids are now getting call ups to El Tri. The USMNT has had its warnings for a while now, don't even mention that guy going to La Liga this season. With all the African kids growing up here expect a few more losses in the years to come. US Soccer has really got to work over the parents as they are often a major source on why the child chose the old country.
AC. Chivas de Guadalajara currently have a player born and raised in the greater San Jose, CA/Bay Area err...allegedly.
He's a striker, and his name is "El Gringo" Jesus Padilla. Allegedly he was born in Ocotlan, Jalisco but this is being questioned. From what I understand he was made to choose between Chivas vs. the US-20 youth system. In any case, he is supposedly a US Citizen.
He now gets first team action and is touted as the successor to Omar Bravo, except bigger, faster stronger etc...
I get the feeling that this guy wasn't considered good enough to play for USA...as a USA fan, I hope I'm proven right...
Anon, you brought up an interesting name. I've heard about Gringo. He was with Chivas USA for a brief, brief spell, early in the 2006 preseason. He was deemed valuable though and sent back to Guadalajara.
It's funny because when he was here we heard he was born in San Jose and that's why they called him Gringo but then we heard afterward that he was in fact born in Jalisco somewhere and they called him Gringo because he was raised in San Jose.
I need some contacts in some San Jose-area hospitals or the Santa Clara county-clerk recorder's office to see if there was a Jesus Padilla born there about 20 years ago.
I don't see how the Hugo reference fits in this note..
It makes me happy that my children could potentially play for Mexico even if they were born here. I couldn't bear the possibility of them ever wear a US shirt!!!! Thank God, Mexican club teams and NT will take players who meet the requirements, irregardless of place of birth...
From the bastion of truth Wikipedia:
Edgar Eduardo Castillo (born October 8, 1986 in Las Cruces, New Mexico) is a Mexican-American playing soccer in Mexico. He played for Mayfield High School, in Las Cruces NM, from 2001 and 2004 under Coach Arturo Garibay (one of New Mexico's most succesful H.S. Soccer Coaches). In 2002, as a Sophomore, he was named NSCAA/adidas High School State Player of the Year.
Edgar is currently a left defensive starter in Mexico's Division I Santos Laguna. He was a player for the Regional National pool for many years. He was one of the top players in New Mexico as he helped and led Mayfield High School to two State Champion games. While playing for the Strikers IV (a Club team out of Las Cruces NM) they were ranked 1st in the state and 7th the in nation. His younger brother, Noel Castillo, is on the reserve team for Santos.
As an aside I am a graduate of Mayfield.
Go Trojans!
KMC, did you know Edgar or his brother or were you there before them?
If what you posted is accurate, it seems that Edgar may have indeed slipped through the cracks, though if his heart was set on playing for Mexico then maybe that wouldn't have mattered.
No Luis I was there many years ago. I don't remember a soccer team when I was there - the Trojans have always been good in the other football.
LB. Anon poster above about El Gringo is actually me BBSC.
I was watching a show on Spanish television and they actually interviewed Nestor De La Torre and he seemed pretty miffed about the dispute with Jesus Padilla. More than anything he seemed upset that Jesus would consider playing for the US.
So bottomline, if your a US born Mexican-American you can still play for Chivas and Mexico, but you can't play for both the US at any level and Chivas Guadalajara.
He must be pretty good because he is being touted as the next big thing by Chivas. LB, you better get to work on your inside sources in San Jose County Records.
BBSC
What's wrong with your kids playing for the US even if you were born in another country. I know the present political climate in this country has made US bashing very popular but I can still think of many reasons to support my country and team...and by the way I was born in Mexico, am proud of my heritage and have a son who wants to play for his country...USA.
Jesus Padilla is one hell of a soccer player born in the US or not with mexican blood and the heart of gold!! He is chivas at heart, my family grew up with him in mexico! by the way ( I was born in Guadalajara Jalisco)! and raised here.. does it not make me mexican either?? Jesus deserves that spot on the team, so for those fuckers who tried to bring him down, its a slap on your face not only did it cause contreversy Now everyone will know who he is!! So in a way thank you!! For giving him as much attention as you did! His parent were born and raised in mexico so he has mexican blood!! and WE LOVE HIM!!
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