Mexican-American rising star Efraín Álvarez is deciding which nation to represent, and the U.S. coach wants him to have all the information possible before choosing.
Gregg Berhalter talks frequently about environment, and he’s confident enough in the one being built around the U.S. national team that he’s encouraged a coveted dual national to explore another and compare.
Efraín Álvarez is only 18 years old, and he started just six MLS matches for his hometown LA Galaxy last season. Yet the skillful midfielder is already the subject of a cross-border tug-of-war between the region’s two heavyweights, who are equally high on his potential. Born in Los Angeles but eligible for Mexico through family ties, Álvarez earned his first taste of international soccer with the U.S. U-15 team in 2016. But the following summer, he played for Mexico at the Concacaf U-15 championship, where El Tri beat the USA in the final.
From there, his stock in Mexico rose. Álvarez scored four goals at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup as his adopted country won the silver medal, and he was on track to play a role in the U-23 side’s effort to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. But Berhalter remained persistent in his belief and in his communication, and he called Álvarez in to a senior camp in December. Álvarez wasn’t eligible to play in the subsequent friendly because of his junior World Cup experience—he would’ve had to file for a permanent one-time switch to the USA—but Berhalter felt it was vital that Álvarez experience that environment he mentions so often.
“I think it’s smart for a player to see what’s out there and see what’s available,” Berhalter said at the time. “To me this is isn’t an unusual process, and again, all we’re looking to do is to create a good environment for players that they want to play in.”
The U.S. coach is now practicing what he preached. Named by both the USA and Mexico to preliminary Olympic qualifying rosters, Álvarez opted for neither and instead, he’ll join coach Gerardo Martino’s senior Mexican squad for this month’s European camp and friendlies against Wales and Costa Rica. Appearances there won’t permanently tie him to Mexico—he could still request that one-time switch—so Berhalter encouraged him to go. Compare them to us. Experience what it’s like on the other side, then see how you feel.
“I have spoken to him about it, and I advocated for him to go in with the Mexican team,” Berhalter said Wednesday after unveiling the squad for the USA’s two March friendlies. “And the reason being is that he’s been in our environment, and I think the only way for him to make an informed decision is to go into their environment.
“We’ve always said that all we want to do is put the players in position to make the best possible decision they can make, and some players are going to choose for us and some players aren’t going to choose for us,” Berhalter continued. “But when you talk about the emotion of the decision, we want to take some of that emotion out of it by letting him have objective data of what the environments are like and being able to compare them. So we wish him all the best in this camp, and I’m sure I’ll follow up with him after the camp.”
If Álvarez opts for Mexico, it won’t be because he felt pressured or unwanted by the USA. Berhalter, his staff and U-23 coach Jason Kreis appear to have given the player plenty of space and respect, all while letting him know in no uncertain terms that they’d love to have him aboard.
After announcing his Olympic qualifying team last week, Kreis detailed U.S. Soccer’s thinking and hopes for Álvarez. His decision not to join the Americans for the Concacaf tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, and then the decision to head to Europe with El Tri, represent steps in a larger journey.
"Efraín Álvarez is a player that the men’s national team program has a high level of interest in. From my point of view, I think it’s important to know that it’s not just the U-23 team that would like Efraín Álvarez to be a part of our efforts. So it’s bigger than that. So I think it was more important that the full national team coach [speak] to Efrain Álvarez and that’s how it's been,” Kreis said.
“Gregg has had very very good communication and constant and regular communication with Efraín about what his pathway would look like with the men's national team programs. I think it needs to be a bigger topic because it’s a bigger decision than just who he should play his U-23 soccer with,” Kreis added. “So those conversations have been ongoing. He is a player that we have a high level of interest in, but he’s also a player that we know he has the option to play for Mexico, and we believe thats a really personal decision. So we just express our interest, express what we think about the pathway, and then say, ‘Of course we’re going to fully respect your decision on your own time.’”
When assessing Álvarez in December, Berhalter lauded the midfielder’s versatility and imagined he might fill several spots with the USA.
"What I saw today in training is he’s a guy you want to be around the ball, a very creative player, has a good change of pace, very good in tight spaces," Berhalter said. "To me, it was a really interesting training to watch him and I can see him in an attacking midfield role, in a winger role, even in the No. 9 role because of the way we’ve been using the No. 9 at times. To me, he’s a quality player.”
Berhalter, Kreis and U.S. Soccer have made their pitch. Now they’re at peace letting Mexico make theirs.