The young midfielder is poised for an MLS breakout, but he already has two countries eyeing him for the future.
The battles between the U.S. men's national team and Mexico are always fierce, on and off the field. In recent years, those off-field battles for dual nationals have only intensified, and another one now seems to be brewing.
Meet Cruz Medina: the San Jose Earthquakes starlet who could be a future star for either the U.S. or Mexico.
He's joined both for youth camps this summer and his future remains uncertain. What is certain, though, is that both federations see his potential. A silky attacking midfielder who can make crazy things happen in the final third, Medina is just getting started, but there's plenty of reason to be excited about his future… at least for whichever program convinces him to join up going forward.
What he's done
If you've paid attention to the youth soccer scene, you've certainly seen Medina's name pop up. He's shined for both club and country as he prepares for a breakout on both levels.
Internationally, he's been a big part of the U.S. U-17s. Medina was a regular for the team at the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and was then locked into the starting XI at the U-17 World Cup later that year.
And, on the club level, Medina signed a professional deal with the San Jose Earthquakes at just 15, becoming the third-youngest signing at the time. He featured for the club in a friendly against Celta Vigo in 2022 but has primarily been a star in MLS Next Pro, where he won the Golden Ball at the 2021 MLS Next Cup, drawing interest from Bayern Munich in the process.
AdvertisementWhy he's here
If there's a word to describe Medina, it's probably "silky".
The Quakes teenager is smooth on the ball and smart with it, too. Medina is simply a player who makes things happen in the final third, be it by creating a goal or scoring one of his own. The teenager is also someone whose mind works as quickly as his feet, someone who can outsmart defenders and outplay them.
He also has a flair for the spectacular, as evidenced by his long-range missile against Barbados in 2023.
Medina still has a lot of growing to do, particularly physically, and he will need to be a better defender once he reaches a high level, but you can see the vision with him: a smooth attacking player who makes things happen whenever the ball is at his feet.
GettyWho he reminds us of
It's still very, very early, but you can see a bit of Gio Reyna in Medina's game.
Not so much physically, of course. Reyna is a few inches taller than Medina, who may still have some growing to do in the coming years. However, both are dynamic attacking midfielders who can also do damage out wide. Pure No. 10s are rapidly being left behind in the modern game, but there's always room for ballers that can find ways to change games.
Reyna is one of the most talented players American soccer has produced, and Medina still has a long way to go, but, if Medina continues to evolve, he has all the potential in the world.
USA Today SportsWhat comes next
Medina's international allegiance is a big talking point, and it seems that he'll be a regular for either the U.S. or Mexico U-20s throughout the next cycle. Before that, though, he'll need to break through in San Jose by earning some legitimate MLS minutes.
With the Quakes struggling this season, that could happen relatively soon. Until then, though, he'll be a key player for The Town FC, the Quakes' reserve side in MLS Next Pro, where he'll look to fine-tune his game before making the big leap up in level.