Jonathan Gonzalez to Atlanta United?

Rumors of another potential Mexican heading to MLS are heating up with a recent photo Monterrey’s Midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez posted put Liga MX twitter into a frenzy.

Jonathan Gonzalez, the previous dual National that chose Mexico over the United States may be packing it up in a crowded Monterrey squad and taking his talents to the north of the border. With previous forward Rodolfo Pizzaro being sold to David Beckham’s MLS expansion team Inter Miami C.F for around a reported $18 million, another Monterrey player being sold to the MLS and more specifically Atlanta United wouldn’t be new dealings. After he posted a picture on social media that looked at his Monterrey locker room and it stated: “The last dance”, rumors are circling and it’s almost like he knows something we don’t yet.

The picture is courtesy of ESPN’s Herculez Gomez on Twitter:

Jonathan Gonzalez was born in Santa Rosa California back in 1999 in the United States and just a couple years ago almost brought the CONCACAF region to a holt when both the Mexican National Team and the United State were requesting his services for their senior teams. Jonathan Gonzalez played for the U.S National Youth team up until 2017 when he switched allegiances to his parent’s birth nation of Mexico, but his request wasn’t processed and approved by FIFA until early 2018.

What helped Gonzalez make his decision were his teammates in Monterrey when he was promoted to the first team back in 2017, previously he did play for their youth teams and they helped him develop immensely compared to what a youth team could give him back in the MLS. He debuted for Mexico in a friendly in late January 2019 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Two years have moved rapidly and his development has stalled on this team that season in and season out seems like the most stacked team in Liga MX, plentiful players filled with talent and his opportunities have been short-lived, it’s understandable for him wanting to leave after warming a bench and being nothing more than a stoppage time substitution when competing against such other gifted Mexican International midfielders for playing time as Carlos Rodriguez.

The breaking point for Jonathan may have been when he was held back from joining Mexico’s U-20 World Cup team by Monterrey in 2019 despite seeing very little time off the bench for Monterrey. It wouldn’t have been his first youth tournament either after in 2018 he participated in the U-21 Toulon tournament and was a starter for every match except the final. Whether it was in the Liguilla or late into the season, Monterrey had the depth to do fine without him and let him start and play in a youth World Cup and Monterrey denied him the opportunity.

Whatever the case or reason, if Jonathan moves it will be a fresh start to him, and no matter what side of the border you prefer to watch soccer, we can only hope many more Mexicans as Jonathan Gonzalez get more opportunities for playing time. From being CONCACAF’s youth player of the Champions League tournament in 2019, being Liga MX’s rookie of the year in 2018 the talent is there, it just needs to be utilized by a team in need of it.