FRISCO, Texas – Jesse Gonzalez’s breakthrough 2015 season was just the beginning.
Twice since FC Dallas’ season ended in the Western Conference Championship, the 20-year-old goalkeeper has been called up to the Mexican U-23 national team ahead of the 2016 Olympics.
“It was great,” Gonzalez told MLSsoccer.com of his second experience with the U-23s. “It’s a great group of guys to work with, from the coaching staff to the players.”
Gonzalez said he has stayed in touch with his Mexican counterparts throughout the offseason at least once a week to keep tabs on how everyone’s training has been going on their professional clubs.
He has played with many of them before with Mexico’s U-18s, according to Gonzalez, helping him strengthen their chemistry as the Olympics are quickly approaching.
“Over there, everybody’s almost the same age, so it’s more of a young group,” Gonzalez said. “You joke around instantly and everything. But at the same time, it’s really competitive.”
Gonzalez says there is not a huge difference in terms of training regiment from the Mexican Olympic squad to FC Dallas.
In fact, moments after a grueling training session in Frisco where goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan put Gonzalez through goalkeeping drills, Gonzalez said the national team may actually have some easier moments.
“There are all sorts of things we do down there. Everything is fun with all the training sessions we do,” Gonzalez said. “There’s times we have fun and times we train, and we mix it up really well.”
Because Gonzalez has yet to play a competitive game with El Tri’s senior team and was born in the US, he is still technically eligible to make a one-time switch to the USMNT.
But the 20-year-old reiterated he has no plans on making that switch and remains 100 percent committed to Mexico.
“Right now I’m committed to Mexico,” Gonzalez said. “Right now that’s my focus – with [FC Dallas] and the Mexico men’s national team.”
Gonzalez didn’t hesitate with his answer. While expressing gratitude to the US and saying he owes the country a lot for propelling him to where he is as a player today, his pull toward Mexico comes, in large part, from the ones closest to him.
“All my family I’ve been around, my people, they all told me the same stuff: They’ve wanted to see me play over there since I was a little kid,” Gonzalez said. “My dream was to play Mexico, and my idols are over there. That’s one of the things that keeps me over there.”
