Pro Prospects: U.S. players star with Xolos

by J.R. Eskilson

November 27, 2013

Club Tijuana U20s ended their season earlier this week with an exit in the semifinals of the LIGA Bancomer MX playoffs. A trio of U.S. youth national team players – Stevie Rodriguez, Paul Arriola, and Alejandro Guido - led the Xolos youth side to that stage of the event.

Arriola had the assist on the opening goal of the quarterfinal stage against Chiapas on a beautiful pass for Alberto Garcia. Rodriguez scored the second goal in a 2-0 win.

Stevie Rodriguez

In the second leg, Arriola and Rodriguez duplicated their efforts. Arriola had the assist on the opening goal and Rodriguez scored the game-winner on a long-distance bomb.

The former Chivas USA Academy member kept his hot streak rolling with a goal in the first half of the opening leg of the semifinal, which was a 2-0 win for Xolos over Club Leon. It was the fourth goal in four games for Rodriguez, who missed out on the last U20 team and would next be in like for the Olympic squad in 2016.

The Xolos lost 2-0 in the next leg and were bounced from the tournament due to a tiebreaker on goal differential through the season.

“We played a great tournament,” Xolos U20 head coach Diego Torres said. “We did a lot of great things with players who have the potential to become players in the First Division. We are going to come back stronger and with a strong will next tournament.”

Arriola has already debuted with the Tijuana first team and enjoyed a remarkable first campaign with the senior team. Rodriguez is still looking to make his mark with the top squad after signing with the club in February 2012.

With a new coach on the way to Tijuana, there may be ample opportunity for the three young U.S. national team prospects to climb the ladder in the climb.

The trio with the U20s are not the only U.S. prospects at the climb, as U15 BNT members Ernesto Espinoza and Angel Uribe are in the lower levels of the professional club’s youth academy.

Julian Green in Champions League

German-American teenager Julian Green made the roster for Bayern Munich’s Champions League game against CSKA Moscow this week. Green, 18 years old, signed his first professional contract with the club on Nov. 8 after starring with the reserve team and showing well during the preseason.

Green was recently called into the Germany U19 Men’s National Team, but remains on the radar for U.S. MNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Atletico eyes Texans

Two members of the Dallas Texans club were invited to train with Atletico Madrid’s youth academy, the Texans announced last week. Dallas Texans U18 defender Jared Rice and Texans U13 pre-academy midfielder Jalen James were spotted during the Texans Elite Players trip to Real Madrid last summer.

The training period is scheduled to last a week.

Photo credit: Francisco Vega