Efraín Álvarez (born 19 June 2002) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

club

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

. Born in the United States, he represents the

Mexico national team The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF. Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...

. He was included in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's "Next Generation 2019".

Club career

LA Galaxy II

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Álvarez signed with

LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...

of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

on August 2, 2017. In signing with the side, Álvarez became the youngest signing in

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

history, ahead of the previous holder

Alphonso Davies Alphonso Boyle Davies (born November 2, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a left-back or winger for club Bayern Munich and the Canada national team. He is regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world due to hi ...

, at 15 years, one month, and 14 days. Álvarez made his professional debut for LA Galaxy II on October 7, against

Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champio ...

, he came on as a 46th-minute substitute for

Adrian Vera Adrian Vera (born January 13, 1997) is an American professional association football, soccer player who plays for USL League One club Central Valley Fuego FC, Central Valley Fuego. Career Vera signed with LA Galaxy II on July 20, 2015. In Ma ...

as LA Galaxy II won 3–2. In playing, Álvarez became the youngest player to ever play a USL match. Álvarez was moved to parent club

ahead of their 2018 season, but was loaned back to the reserve team.

LA Galaxy

Álvarez made his senior team debut on March 2, 2019, and assisted on a goal during a 2–1 victory over the Chicago Fire. On September 2, 2020 Álvarez scored his first MLS goal against the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

, the first in a 3–2 win.

International career

Álvarez was eligible to play for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, having been born in the United States to

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

parents. He currently represents Mexico at the senior level after playing for the United States at the U-15 youth level, and once stated, "I'm not closing the door on anyone. I could still play for the U.S. or I could keep playing for Mexico. But I'm with Mexico right now and that's my focus." Álvarez originally represented the United States U15's. In April 2016, he served as their

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

at the 2016 International Festival of Fútbol in Rosario, Argentina, starting all three matches and leading the United States to the title. In the opening match against

Talleres de Córdoba Club Atlético Talleres (; (lit. Workshops Athletic Club) mostly known simply as Talleres (lit. Workshops) or Talleres de Córdoba ) (Córdoba Workshops) is an Argentine sports club from the city of Córdoba. The institution is mostly known f ...

, Álvarez scored three goals and assisted two more goals in a 5–1 victory. He also scored against Uruguay U15s in a 2–0 win. In June 2016, Álvarez was again called to the United States U15s, for a four-team tournament in Zagreb, Croatia in which he made one start against Croatia U15s. Álvarez began playing for Mexico U15's in September 2016. He scored a brace for them in a friendly 7–0 win over the Cayman Islands U17 on August 11, 2017. He also represented the Mexico U15s in their championship-winning run at the

2017 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship The 2017 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship was an international football tournament, the second edition of the CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship. The competition was set to feature up to 40 teams from the CONCACAF region. All times EDT ( ...

, and provided the game-winning assist against his previous team, the United States U15s. Álvarez debuted for the Mexico U17's team in a 1–0 win over the Argentina U17's, and scored the only goal in the match. He was included in the roster that would participate at the 2019 U-17 World Cup. He scored four goals in the tournament, scoring the winning goal from a free-kick in the semi-final against

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

as Mexico finished runner-up against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. In November 2020, Álvarez was called-up to the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

for a friendly match in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

against

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. However, he did not receive any playing minutes in that match due to not having yet filed a one-time switch to FIFA in order to officially play for the United States. In March 2021, Álvarez was called-up to the

for

friendly matches An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. On March 30, he made his debut with the national team against Costa Rica, coming on as a substitute for

Jesús Manuel Corona Jesús Manuel Corona Ruíz (; born 6 January 1993), popularly known by his nickname Tecatito, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga club Sevilla and the Mexico national team. Tecatito began his career in 2010 ...

during the second half for a 1–0 victory. In June 2021, Álvarez confirmed his commitment to Mexico over overtures to play for the United States. A few days later, he replaced the injured

Rodolfo Pizarro Rodolfo Gilbert Pizarro Thomas (born 15 February 1994) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. Pizarro broke into the senior Pachuca team in 2012, remaining there unti ...

on the upcoming

2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 16th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was originally scheduled t ...

squad. On July 10, 2021, his appearance as a substitute against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

permanently cap-tied him to Mexico. In May 2022, Álvarez was included in the under-21 roster that participated in the

2022 Maurice Revello Tournament The 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament (officially french: 48ème Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello), was the 48th edition of the Maurice Revello Tournament, an annual, international, age-restricted football tournament, wh ...

, scoring two goals, Mexico finished third.

Personal life

Efraín is the brother of professional soccer player Carlos Alvarez.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Mexico U17 *

CONCACAF U-17 Championship The CONCACAF U-17 Championship is an international association football event in the North America, Central America and the Caribbean region, and is the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Results In 2009 the tournament returned ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...

runner-up:

Individual *

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

Young Player of the Year:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

References

External links

LA Galaxy Profile
*
US Soccer Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Efrain 2002 births Living people Soccer players from Los Angeles Mexican footballers Mexico international footballers Mexico youth international footballers American soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Citizens of Mexico through descent Association football midfielders LA Galaxy II players LA Galaxy players USL Championship players Major League Soccer players Homegrown Players (MLS) 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players