Winger Had a Big Performance Sunday in Hopes of Making the World Cup Roster
If Alejandro Zendejas needed to make a statement ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup roster announcement, Sunday night in Mexico City was about as emphatic as it gets.
The 28-year-old winger delivered a stunning two-goal, one-assist performance as Club América mounted a remarkable comeback from three goals down against top-seeded Pumas UNAM in the Liga MX quarterfinal second leg. América ultimately drew 3-3 on the night and 6-6 on aggregate, but were eliminated by the Liga MX tiebreaker, which favors the better regular-season finisher, sending Pumas through to face Pachuca in the semifinals.
The result stings, but Zendejas's individual display was extraordinary. With Pumas racing out to a 3-0 lead inside 23 minutes, it was Zendejas who sparked the comeback. He set up Patricio Salas from a corner kick delivery to get América on the board, then converted a penalty to make it 3-2. In the 61st minute, he beat legendary Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the air with a close-range header to level the tie. América still needed a fourth to advance on the tiebreaker, and a penalty in the 87th minute offered that chance, but Henry Martín struck the post, and the opportunity was gone.
Across 90 minutes, Zendejas created six chances—more than anyone else on the pitch—completed 87% of his passes and delivered 10 corners. The performance followed a Clausura season in which he managed three goals and three assists in 10 appearances despite missing time through injury.
Yet Zendejas hasn't featured for the USMNT since scoring against Japan back in September 2025, and his absence from the March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal drew notable criticism, including from América manager André Jardine, who publicly questioned the omission and rated Zendejas among Liga MX's best players.
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