Nineteen-year-old Alex Gonzalez, an Alisal alum, scored Sunday in a game against Guadalajara's Liga TDP squad.
The sun beat down on Club San Rafael Sunday in Guadalajara, Jalisco during a match between Guadalajara's Liga TDP team, Escuela de Fútbol Chivas, and the visiting Catedráticos Elite.
A gusting wind up to 20 miles per hour punctuated the heat, making for exhausting conditions for a game. The game stayed gridlocked in a 0-0 tie for 70 minutes until host Chivas scored to take a 1-0 lead.
Looking for some fresh players to improve their chances, the 77th minute saw Alisal alum Alex Gonzalez substituted in at forward. This was a crucial game for Catedráticos Elite against the fourth-best team in Liga TDP.
Sixteen minutes later, he rose up between two defenders and headed the ball to the back right corner of the net for the tying score in extra time, his first of the season.
After finishing the rest of extra time 1-1, Chivas took the win with an 8-7 margin on penalty kicks. But Gonzalez was far from sad with the result.
"I was confident and I want to prove I have the talent to play at the top level," he said via phone Monday. "That goal was dedicated to my family and friends."
In four months with Catedráticos Elite, the 19-year-old's played in five matches as he works his way into a bigger role. He and the club are fighting to have a shot at promotion into Liga Premier Serie A or B.
"My hopes are to keep playing and get to the finals," he said. "If not, I have teams watching me for tryouts and just keep playing to get farther and keep learning."
That determination comes with credit to his coach at Alisal, Mark Cisneros, and the Trojan program. Gonzalez came to the school and started playing as a sophomore.
"He always told me I had potential and that I had to focus to get far in life not just as a player," he described. "Working with them in high school, putting hours in got me here to where I'm at. Alisal soccer is the top level."
That's prepared him for the competitive ranks of Liga TDP, the lowest of the four levels in Mexican soccer. It's a proving ground of 217 clubs in 13 divisions where young players look to make a mark and cement a promising career.
"Alex's success speaks to the potential and opportunity for success that Alisal students can achieve," Cisneros said. "He's pretty gritty, pretty physically mature. When he played with us it was clear the other players were just as good as him."
Now that he's back in his hometown city, he's focused on continuing his career regardless of where it takes him.
"I want to keep playing because I love playing soccer and it's my passion," Gonzalez said. "The rest will come eventually."
"He's back in a place that's more comfortable for him," Cisneros said. "He's a young man with a good mind, the boys will definitely look up to him."
April 2, 2019, 4:10 p.m.