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The rivalry between México and United States is not only in the field. It's becoming more and more common to see both nations battling to convince young, talented dual-citizen soccer players to commit to their programs. Ricardo Pepi, Julián Araujo and Jonathan Gómez are the most high-profile cases last year, but the list grows and grows down the line. One example is the Cowell brothers, Cade and Chance.
Cade and Chance Cowell dilemma: México or the USMNT?
Both players were born in California and are on the radar of the USYNT. However, because of their Mexican maternal grandfather, they also are eligible to play for El Tri. And boy, they are trying hard to convince them to make the Azteca Stadium their home.
Cade is the older of the pair. He is just 18 but already can brag about being part of the San Jose Earthquakes senior squad, where he has contributed with seven goals in 57 appearances. You can describe him as a classic, strong No. 9 who also has shown off his goalscoring abilities for the U-17 and U-20 USYNT. He even got a cap in the USMNT back in December of 2021 during a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He never played for México, but they have approached him several times. Cade seems to have refused the proposals, but he is not ready yet to close that door.
"It's whoever wants me more and how I fit into their system best," he said last year. "I haven't really gotten looks from México, but the United States has been great to me."
The sleuths who follow him on social media also report he is constantly taking off and putting on the Mexican flag in his bio. Currently, the flag is not on his Instagram account, but it is visible on Twitter.
And what about Chance? He is already making some noise. The 13-year-old is part of the Sacramento Republic academy and a few days ago was invited to participate in the next U-15 Mexican national team camp. He accepted.
"Very thankful for the opportunity and excited to get started. VAMOS!" he wrote on Instagram.
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Obviously, there is still a long road to be walked, but it is clear already the Cowell brothers are going to be a hot topic between México and the U.S. in the years to come.
