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Ponce called up to Mexico’s preliminary Copa America squad

  MiguelPonce (Getty)

BY ADAM SERRANO

It appears that Miguel Ponce has chosen to join the Mexican national team, spurning the country of his birth in the process.

The left back for Chivas de Guadalajara was chosen for Mexico's preliminary squad for the Copa America.

Ponce has been a fixture for Chivas de Guadalajara backline since last season. Ponce's decision to join Mexico's squad is in line with Guadalajara's strict policy that states members of their team could only represent El Tri. Ponce was born in Sacramento, California, but stated last year in an interview with MLSsoccer.com that he identified more with the Mexican national team.

“I was born in America, but in my case my family is Mexican so I’m more Mexican than American,” said Ponce. “I’m proud to play for a team that I love, but if Mexico or the US call me and I need to play for a [national] team, then I will have to see what I can do. I just need to wait and see.”

The Mexico squad for the Copa America will be trimmed on June 27th. The South American tournament runs from July 1st to July 24th. 

Comments

  1. People people… yes this sucks for USA, but you do realize this does not permanently cap Ponce to Mexico. Technically he is playing in a Mexican Youth team. As guests to Copa America, this is not an official senior game for Mexico. This also applies to Jonathan Dos Santos, who would still be eligible for Spain and Brazil.

    What you should be concerned about is Chandler, who has played for the German youth teams. He has played for USA but is not caped off. He would have been if he had played in Gold Cup. He and his club requested to miss the Gold Cup….. I know Germany is no Mexico in our eyes, but where are the haters on him.

    As one said, this is how world football goes. His job comes first and Chivas are the ones who pay him. Is there anyway USSF can compensate that? Everyone is so quick to hate a kid they wanted even though he still is technically available. He has said “If USA wants me, I haven’t heard”. Don’t want to set anyone’s hopes up, but if the USMNT still wants him, he is still up for the taking.

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  2. Do you realize that the US had the biggest financial incentive to win the 2010 world cup? More than Spain, and certainly more than Mexico. Maybe the financial incentive isn’t quite what you think.

    He can choose to play for Mexico, but I can choose to cheer against him because he doesn’t wear the US shield.

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  3. Let me tell you something once and for all. Not ALL Mexicans want “the dream that is the US” OK?

    I am Mexican but I’m also a naturalized US citizen. Do you have a problem with that. I did it for convenience just like the good ol USA does everything for. My wife happens to be American by birthright even though her father is German and her mother Mexican. We are raising our two kids here. We pay a lot of taxes, spend a lot of money and travel inside this great country. But I feel 100% Mexican and she feels 100% American even though we met in Mexico City where she had lived for seven years. Her dad lives in Germany and her Mom in Houston. My whole family lives in Mexico. 99.9% of my relatives, and I have a huge extended family live and work in Mexico and they do it never, ever thinking about the US. They are incredibly happy there. I am happy here but I miss a lot of things about my country, and I could go back whenever I feel like it. You got another problem with that?. I have not done any better here than I did in Mexico, I have done about the same.

    Every place in the world has it’s good and it’s bad. You are either a good person in pursuit of your own dream without affecting third parties or you’re not. I have a feeling I’m of the first kind and you’re of the second!!!

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  4. I didn’t realize Ponce lived most of his life in Mexico so I would cut him some slack on that, but I stand by my statement about people born and raised in the US but trying so hard to be Mexican, Polish, etc. and reject the country that gave them so much.

    The funny thing is when they go to the country of their roots the natives of those countries see them as Americans right off the bat.

    I hate that the schools now teach you that if you are not a white male you are a automatically a victim. I have traveled extensively and have seen how much harder life is in most other countries and how much harder it is to get ahead.

    The majority of Mexican-Americans (or whatever you want to call them) would have a hell of a lot harder time having the same standard of living here then they would in Mexico (which is why their parents risked so much to get here), yet the schools tell them what victims they are. This breeds resentment and the feeling of being apart.

    When a person rejects his country and walks around with a Mexican flag on their shirt then maybe they are encouraging other people to see them as less then Americans and thus second class citizens.

    Again, I don’t see being proud of your roots and being proud of your country as being incompatible. So many people now feel to show their ethnic pride they have to reject being an American and I think this doesn’t make any sense.

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  5. Exist or have existed in other selections Brazilian players : Germany, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Vietnam, Bolivia, Tunisia, Portugal, Belgium, Usa ….. you can not cry for everyone.

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  6. Unless you are raised in a multicultural familiy where you speak a second language, eat traditional food, and visit your parent’s country during the summers where you still have family, you will never understand Ponce.

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  7. Word to the wise (with apologies to Jamie Z!): when criticizing someone for their lack of eloquence, pulling out Latin phrases and telling them they wouldn’t understand, remember to check the spelling of “unum”.

    (Or are you trying a pun to celebrate Pumas’ recent Clausura victory?)

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  8. Yes, that is positively correct. Any official FIFA recognized tournament cap ties a player. The Copa America is an officially recognized competition.

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  9. AJ and “Dudeinho”…

    You must be right. I am retarded and also an idiot. Thank you for putting me in my proper place… and with such eloquence and artistry.

    Too much Pluribus… and not enough Unam. You wouldn’t understand.

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  10. 1. What?

    2. *you’re. Those words mean different things. “Your” is a possessive personal pronoun and “you’re” is a contraction that means “you are”. Luckily, you aren’t expected to know these things as an American, unless you happened to be born somewhere else, so you’re all set!

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  11. Word to the wise (pt. 2): Before calling someone retarded, check to make sure you can construct sentences properly using grammar school punctuation.

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  12. Well, if that’s fair game, I, for one, was disappointed to open the comment section and see this place full of “typical Americans”.

    This is a global game in a global society. This is part and parcel of the process. Everybody whining one way or another should really just get used to it; this isn’t a phenomenon that starts and ends with some Jersey kid named Rossi.

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  13. the fact that you dislike him is stupid.

    the sport is a business

    Money talks and what nobody here ever talks about is the amount of money mexico can throw at these players. I remember reading a while back before the 06 WC that the US pays about two grand per game. I imagine mexico is still to this day paying a hell of a lot more. Not to mention endorsements and TV time, Sold out stadiums, etc.. all here in the states.

    I dont blame him Financially its makes sense for him to play for Mexico.

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  14. “And the ugly side of soccer rears its head.”

    No kidding. And check out the “parasites” comment the followed just a few minutes later…

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  15. Kudos to Rich!! Since Ponce and his family consider themselves Mexican, when are they moving back to beautiful, wonderful Mexico? I’ll help them pack. Too many parasites. My mother was born in Scotland, but I would never play for anyone but the US.

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