Alejandro Zendejas made Subaru Park a milestone in his race for the U.S. World Cup team

Most of the fans who came to Subaru Park on Tuesday — and the fact that the place was only half full was its own story — wore the stadium’s traditional colors. Once all the blue-and-yellow-clad rooters settled in, they followed another custom by rooting for an American player.

But this time, that player wasn’t on the Union side.

U.S. men’s national team attacking midfielder Alejandro Zendejas was one of the night’s box office attractions, helping Club América win 1-0 in the first game of this Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 series.

He didn’t have a spectacular game, but he had a few nice moments and a solid box score line: 44 touches, two shots, 18-of-26 passing (including four into the attacking third), and three tackles.

Zendejas, 28, has been a stalwart of Mexico’s biggest club for a few years now, and he represents a dream of so many Mexican Americans. He was born in Juárez, Mexico, grew up right over the border in El Paso, Texas, and was brought into FC Dallas’ youth academy.

In 2016, he moved to another Mexican giant, Chivas of Guadalajara. América is his fourth Liga MX club, and has been his home since 2022.

» READ MORE: A look back at Alejandro Zendejas' commitment to the U.S. national team in 2023

Not for nothing did the crowd give him some of its biggest cheers Tuesday night. But some even bigger cheers could be on the way this summer if he keeps playing well. Zendejas is pushing to make the World Cup squad, and a lot of people want to see it happen.

He hasn’t played for the national team since last September, in part because of some minor injuries, but in that game he scored a fine goal against Japan. His visit to Chester was his first official action on U.S. soil since then.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the States,” Zendejas said. “I’m always happy to come back and play these types of games. I miss the atmosphere over here. So I was really looking forward to it.”

He walked off the field just under two weeks before the start of this month’s U.S. training camp, the last one before the World Cup team is picked. The March squad is expected to be announced next week. The competition is fierce just to make that team.

Zendejas happily embraces it.

“It’s good, healthy competition,” he said. “It’s going to be an amazing team, because I think this is probably one of the best USA teams that we’ve had in the past couple years. A bunch of guys are in good rhythm.”

He acknowledged the injuries he’s had, but said he’s “feeling good, feeling healthy” now, and ready to push for the golden ticket.

“Like I’ve always said, it depends on me,” he said. “I’ve been battling with some injuries now, but I’m feeling good, feeling healthy. So my main goal is just to have good rhythm, and just wish for the best. I’ll be working hard to make that roster.”

As was the case with Matt Freese earlier this month (and last fall), Union fans know they’re booing players in club games whom they’ll cheer for in the World Cup. And if they can’t afford FIFA’s absurdly expensive tickets, at least they can say they’ve seen some players with their own eyes in Chester.

» READ MORE: Matt Freese thwarted the Union again this month, this time with his biggest USMNT games of all on the horizon

Another one, Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, will come to town for the Union’s last home game before the World Cup on May 16. He’s likely to be one of Freese’s backups this summer.

The Union will also face two U.S. veterans on the road, Tim Ream’s Charlotte FC on April 4 and Matt Turner’s New England Revolution on May 9.

After Tuesday’s final whistle, Zendejas spent a few minutes chatting with the Union’s Nathan Harriel in the center circle. They were teammates on that September squad, and Harriel was a late sub who helped close out the Japan game — a 2-0 win that gave the Americans much-needed momentum.

“We were just catching up,” Harriel said. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time. … He was just cool about how they’re doing down in Mexico and everything, and looking forward to the second leg [of this series], of course.”

» READ MORE: USMNT stalwart Antonee Robinson is finally healthy again, and hopes to get back to the national team soon

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has called up over 70 players in his tenure, successfully shaking incumbents out of their complacency. But the players are also humans, so it’s good that they get along.

“We all keep in contact, because we’re not just teammates, we’re also good friends,” Harriel said.

Zendejas’ goal has not been forgotten, nor has the impact of the win. The U.S. did not lose for the rest of the fall, and carries a five-game unbeaten run into this month’s friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

Those will be the last games before Pochettino names the World Cup squad in late May. Pochettino’s vote is the only one that counts, but if he’d like any endorsements, Harriel was happy to provide one.

» READ MORE: U.S. men’s World Cup hopeful Noahkai Banks is taking the slow and steady approach

“He’s a fighter, man,” he said. “You saw it tonight. He might be small, he’s not the tallest, but he’s a fighter, supertechnical. And just a great guy on and off the field, and that’s the most important.”

He also knows the popular sentiment.

“I think everybody wants to see him back in that last camp before the World Cup,” Harriel said.

América manager André Jardine was just as happy to back his player.

“He has the goals of América in mind, obviously, but he clearly has this dream of being at the World Cup,” Jardine said, speaking in Spanish. “He’s perhaps the most consistent player on our roster, playing at a very, very high level for the last two or three years. … He plays every phase of the game, defends, attacks, makes good transitions.”

» READ MORE: Brenden Aaronson is on a hot streak with Leeds United at an ideal time for his World Cup hopes

He went on to call Zendejas “perhaps the best player in the Mexican league today — if not the best, he’s certainly among the three most important players in the entire Mexican league.”

If the boss is biased, he can say he’s allowed. He has steered América to three league titles and another playoff final, all with Zendejas on the field.

“I also want to see him at this World Cup,” Jardine said. “He’s been doing well to deserve it, not just now, but for a long time now.”

The last word goes back to Zendejas. Readers here will recall Freese’s insistence on taking things one day at a time. But the World Cup is obviously on every player’s mind, and Zendejas was happy to admit it. Thursday will mark two months until the U.S. plays its tournament opener in Inglewood, Calif., just outside Los Angeles.

“L.A., oof, it’s a dream, man,” Zendejas said. “Having it so close, and having that opportunity present itself would be amazing. It’s something that I’m going to work towards. So yeah, just do my part, and hopefully it can happen.”

» READ MORE: The USMNT seems on course to do something it hasn’t done in nearly a quarter century