Jonathan Gonzalez’s one-time switch to Mexico is officially complete.
According to ESPN, Jonathan Gonzalez received his finalized one-time switch approval from FIFA on Wednesday, officially tying the midfielder to the Mexico national team. The news makes Gonzalez eligible to join El Tri as soon as the team’s friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina in San Antonio on Jan. 31.
“Please be informed that the request made by the Mexican Football Federation and the player Jonathan Gonzalez for change of Association was accepted by the Single Judge of the Players’ Status Committee and the player is allowed to represent the national team as from the notification of the decision,” a FIFA spokesperson said, according to ESPN.
Gonzalez announced his decision to represent El Tri on Jan. 9 after previously featuring for several U.S. youth teams. The news comes on the heels of a breakout season for Monterrey that saw the midfielder named to the Liga MX Best XI.
In the weeks since Gonzalez’s decision, U.S. Soccer has come under fire for the botched recruitment of the midfielder. Following claims that the federation visited Gonzalez at home, ESPN reported that no member of the U.S. Soccer staff visited the midfielder. Furthermore, Gonzalez was left out of the loop in November when he was excluded from the U.S. Men’s National Team’s squad to face Portugal.