Photo by John Dorton/ISIPhotos.com

By IVES GALARCEP

SAN ANTONIO– With an easy smile and grateful tone in his voice, Ventura Alvarado talked fondly of his winding path to budding soccer stardom.

From a child standout in Phoenix, to starter for Mexican powerhouse Club America, Alvarado took a tough road to achieving the dreams he had as a youngster in Arizona, and as he prepares for Wednesday night’s U.S.-Mexico friendly, Alvarado is riding an emotional high.

In an in-depth one-on-one interview for Goal.com, Alvarado shared the stories of his move from Phoenix to Mexico, the steps he had to take to become a pro, and the whirlwind past four months, which have seen him accomplish so many of the things he hoped to one day achieve.

“It was a very long process, from the youth academy, to Under-17s, U-20s, to the loan to Necaxa, but the last two years have been like a blur, because everything has come very fast,” Alvarado told Goal.com. “These past six months to a year, to start playing and become a starter, win a title and be called up by the national team, has happened very fast.

“At times, in soccer, it’s all about the opportunity. A player can get hurt, a chance can come, and there you are. And if everything goes well, you can become famous.”

Give the Alvarado feature a read and let us know what you think about his story. See him being a fixture on the U.S. national team? Think we’ll see more and more young Americans going to Mexico in pursuit of their dreams?

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