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Ponce faces choice between USA and Mexico

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BY ADAM SERRANO

United States or Mexico?

For one American born player, the decision is not as simple as just choosing a national team.

Chivas de Guadalajara's American-born defender Miguel Angel Ponce has an interesting choice ahead of him. Born in America and raised in Mexico, the left back has risen through the ranks at one of Mexico's largest clubs. If the Sacramento native were to play for the United States, he would immediately lose his position with Chivas, a team that only accepts Mexican citizens. 

Read the story linked above for the full details of his story.

What do you think Ponce should do? Should Bob Bradley call up the young left back?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. “Whether it be Chivas or the national team, your [sic] gonna have your share of Mexican’s [sic] who believe in the idea of that [sic] only mexican’s [sic] should be playing for in [sic] Mexico.”

    What in God’s holy name are you blathering about?

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  2. I live on a border city as well in south texas and fact of the matter is that mexican’s jump on your ass right away if you look mexican, have a mexican name and aren’t mexican enough. For instance lost of Mexican’s who come to shop over here, in malls what have you, assume if your Mexican-American that you speak spanish, and when you don’t you get this look, like, “omg now i have to try and speak english when he should obviously know spanish”. Mexican’s consider Mex-American’s a race of their own.
    It reminds me of that line from Celina, when Edward James Olmos is like ” Its tuff being mexican-american. When your in Mexico your not mexican enough and when your in american your not american enough” or something along those lines.

    As far as Mexican-Amerian’s and their nationalistic stance goes, we’ll thats just a really complicated matter. And to be frank most people who aren’t “ethnic” wouldn’t understand. i think at one point or another, mex-american’s, especially from more humble upbringings who or are raised into familys with ties to mexico, are more inclined to associate with mex-american’ who come from similar backgrounds, or are who are just flat out mexican, and in turn speak spanish on a daily basis with their friends, watch FMF, and live in their own culture. Its a question that dwells into sociological and psychological aspects of a person and their upbringing.

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  3. And Salgado, wasn’t the next big thing for Chivas, i’d like to add. If he was willing to jump ship for a guarenteed 150 thou per year guarenteed 4 year contract versus what they pay senior players in mexico, or Arellano, Bofo, Magallon, Bravo or Medina at Chivas for instance, i think its safe to say he wasn’t being touted the next Carlos Vela.

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  4. you can’t hide behind a veil, and go around the truth just because its politics and very much borders racial isssues. Im not saying mexican’s are racists, and certainly not all, but it goes back to a certain nationalistic pride that they feel as mexicans and it mirrored in their football as well. Whether it be Chivas or the national team, your gonna have your share of Mexican’s who believe in the idea of that only mexican’s should be playing for in Mexico. But obviously not all. Its a little chauvinistic but its the truth non the less

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  5. That’s a good point. I do think firing a player simply because he plays for another country is wrong…I should have definitely said that from the beginning…but I don’t think their concept is inherently wrong.

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  6. I understand your position Mike, but it is difficult for most Americans to relate to. The policy is illegal under American law, and we forget that many other nations come down on the side of freedom in hiring practices. Chivas can use whatever criteria they want to fill their team for all I care. If it starts to hurt them on the field or in the wallet, they will change their policy.

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  7. It’s a possibility that he’ll be good enough, but you can’t really know fore sure. Tell me how Edgar Castillo and Michael Orozco are doing lately? I’d probably pick Bornstein over them right now. Just because you play or played in Mexico doesn’t always mean your better.

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  8. Why do you assume their reasoning is ethnocentric? I don’t think a team of Mexicans is necessarily a statement of ethnic superiority.

    If the Montreal Impact decided to only field French-Canadian players, would anyone care?

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  9. That remains to be seen. Mexico has been knocked out of the World Cup in the round of 16 five world cups in a row. If anything they are consistent.

    Obviously Chicharito has loads of potential….Let’s wait and see if it pans out before annointing Mexico the next world power.

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  10. I understand that, but it’s the same concept. The reason those restrictions were loosened? Over time, it mattered less and less to the fans that their players were of Basque origin, so they started letting in players with a familiarity with Basque culture (as you pointed out, by coming up through other Basque clubs). Maybe Chivas will move in the same direction. Still, Athletic Bilbao is THE Basque team, just as Chivas aims to be THE Mexican team. I don’t think either club does it to make the statement, “my culture is better than your culture.”

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  11. I truley think that he is going to choose Mexico and stay at Chivas. Though it would be great if he did choose the USA and then moved on to Chivas USA. Another outstanding player in the MLS would be great for the league.

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  12. What? You forgot Giovani and his brother Jonathan. Miguel Layun (Club America) played for Atalanta in Serie A last year. Rafa Marquez? If what you are saying is that MLS exports more American players than FMF exports Mexican players to Europe, it’s probably about even. If what you’re saying is that MLS exports more players of any nationality than FMF does, than you’re obviously very misinformed!!!

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  13. Not hypocritical at all. You’re talking about sports and trying to make it some political national immigration issue.

    This policy actually started by their founder, who was European. And it has carried on in tradition. You have to remember these clubs are not MLS like 15 years old. These clubs are 100 years old, before PC stuff. Changing that tradition would be difficult. It’s one of the unique things about them, so you’d somehow have to convince all their fans and so forth.

    Atletic Bilbao has a similar policy, which I don’t have a problem with either.

    Oh and I don’t think that if the US wanted a ‘club for US common people’ and played it off that way that the world would have issues with that. There are already clubs doing this and I think most can differentiate between politics and football.

    Maybe Arizona can start this. 🙂

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  14. It seems very very very hypocrital of a country with well-known immigration issues with the US to allow such a stupid policy. Can you imagine the protests if any US pro sports team only accepted US citizens??? hypocritical beyond belief.

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  15. Let’s be honest. With Bradley as head coach, he will not change his system of defense and longballs so he will not play as much and never really use his true talent. Creativity and offense is sucked out of the players in Bradley’s system and they are asked to play a boring game…

    He might be able to continue playing for Chivas instead.

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