GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Mexico coach Miguel Herrera is either creating a smokescreen, or Club América defender Ventura Alvarado really doesn’t feature in his immediate plans.
“It doesn’t concern us at this time; we’ve not decided anything about Ventura Alvarado,” Herrera said Wednesday on ESPN’s Raza Deportiva. “There are players to cover that position like Paul Aguilar, [Jesús] Dueñas and Gerardo Flores.”
The international future of Alvarado – who holds both US and Mexican citizenship – has been the subject of building speculation recent days, with Las Aguilas sporting president Ricardo Peláez saying the Phoenix, Ariz., native has enough quality to play for Mexico and reports coming out that US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been watching the 22-year-old very closely.
That has been intensified with Mexico juggling the Copa America and Gold Cup this summer and likely needing 46 players (23 players in each squad) to cover both.
Interestingly, the three players Herrera named when asked about Alvarado all appear to be more right wingbacks in his standard 5-3-2 system, whereas the bilingual youngster has featured mainly as a center back since coach Gustavo Matosas took over Club América for the Clausura 2015.
The United States is set to play Denmark and Switzerland in Europe at the end of March, while Mexico will face Ecuador and Paraguay.
Alvarado moved to Mexico City as a 15-year-old to join Club América and slowly worked his way up the youth system before winning a starting spot in the playoffs as they lifted the Apertura 2014.
