Alex Zendejas marked a significant milestone in his career recently by starting back-to-back games for Club America for the first time since November, playing a crucial role in their 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Although he did not record a direct goal or assist, his contributions on both ends of the field were vital to his team’s success. Notably, Zendejas played 65 minutes—a personal best since February, when he suffered his latest muscular injury that sidelined him for several months.
Zendejas’s return to full fitness prompted his manager, Andre Jardine, to reintegrate him quickly into the squad’s attacking lineup. Jardine’s comments after the match highlighted just how important Zendejas is to Club America. “To me, he is one of those players I wouldn't want to give up, because he is a player who fulfills much more than just one role for you,” Jardine explained. “He plays the game in all its phases; he defends, he attacks, he makes good transitions. I consider him a very modern player, and perhaps today in the Mexican League, if not the top player, he is surely among the three most important players in the entire Mexican League. Therefore, it is also my desire to see him in this World Cup, because to me he has been deserving it, not just now, but for a long time.”
Jardine’s praise is backed by Zendejas’s impressive statistics and overall influence on the pitch. The 24-year-old midfielder has been on the cusp of making the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) World Cup roster. He has made appearances under current head coach Mauricio Pochettino but has struggled with injuries that kept him off the field since September 2025. His last outing for the national team was memorable—he scored against Japan, a goal that helped spark the USMNT’s unbeaten run at the end of 2025. Unfortunately, his absence in subsequent matches limited his ability to further cement his place in the team, making Tuesday’s strong performance with Club America a meaningful step towards regaining attention from the national team selectors.
With the 2026 World Cup looming, and the USMNT’s upcoming international fixtures against Belgium and Portugal in March approaching fast, Zendejas is focused on regaining and maintaining his form. Having recovered from his injury, he is optimistic but candid about the challenges he faced during his rehabilitation. “It's hard, man, it's hard when you're dealing with a bunch of injuries, especially when I'm not a guy who usually goes through a lot of that stuff,” he said. “But I just have to try to focus and stay healthy. Focus on what my body can do, and now that I'm healthy, stay healthy, try to get into that rhythm to be able to play 90 minutes without any worries.”
This mindset reveals both the physical and psychological hurdles professional athletes endure when recovering from injury. For Zendejas, the road back to full fitness required patience and determination, and now that he is getting regular minutes on the field, he is working to regain his top form ahead of the World Cup.
However, the fragility of fitness in professional soccer remains a constant concern. During the match against the Philadelphia Union, Club America’s goalkeeper Luis Malagon—who is also in contention for Mexico’s starting spot at the World Cup—suffered an injury while attempting to clear the ball. Jardine expressed fears that Malagon may have sustained an Achilles injury, which could jeopardize his participation in the tournament. Injuries like these are a harsh reality for athletes at this level, and despite the risks, players must keep such worries out of their minds to perform at their best.
The USMNT has felt this vulnerability firsthand. Sergino Dest, the often-injured American right back currently playing for PSV Eindhoven, recently suffered another setback. But despite these challenges, the national team boasts considerable depth, which has been a key strength in recent years. Zendejas himself praised the quality and competitiveness within the player pool, calling it “one of the best pools that I’ve seen in the past few years.” He credited Pochettino for his thorough approach, noting that the Argentine coach has called up around 70 players since taking charge, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to assemble the strongest possible squad.
“It’s healthy