He could be such a versatile chess piece for the US -- box-to-box CM, winger, playmaker. My impression is he's been used more as a CM at club level and more as an attacker with US youth teams.
Monterrey CM Jesus Molina was with Mexico at the Gold Cup, so one might wonder whether Gonzalez is just a stopgap starter rather than a consistent one. Well, Molina got hurt at the Gold Cup vs. Honduras, and apparently is still hurt, so Gonzalez will likely continue to start vs. Tijuana tonight. (And he still may when Molina gets back, if Molina replaces someone else.) http://www.excelsior.com.mx/adrenalina/2017/08/01/1179005
He's on the bench with Edgar Castillo. 10 of 11 men in the lineup are the same as the last time, and the lone change is Neri Cardozo in place of Gonzalez.
Castillo is not listed as being on the bench. Guido is on the opposite bench, with Arriola, Corona, and Orozco starting. We really could use a LigaMX catch-all thread because of all the crossover, but limited interest in game day talk.
Twas good conditions for him to receive a sub appearance with Monterrey up 3-0 in the 2nd half with no subs used yet. And he was the 2nd one, around the 80th minute. Not much time to impress, but he certainly gave it the ol' college try anyway. He was quite spunky and attempting to be part of the play offensively and defensively. Had a couple passes which showed quick thinking, but over-exuberance also resulted in a mis-control or two. I could swear that was him at the end who flashed a volley across the net off a corner forcing a diving save from the keeper. Impressive bit of skill if so. There was not a ton to draw a conclusion about his abilities off, but appeared to have the requisite athleticism for this level, and probably internationally, as a 10/8 (I think he was the 10 in a 451 during this stint). And he wasn't lacking in raw technique or effort.
#3 on list of U20 players in Liga MX: http://espndeportes.espn.com/futbol...res-menores-de-20-anos-a-seguir-en-la-liga-mx (in Spanish) 3. Jonathan González (18 years old) Position: Average Height: 1.75 m.) In a team full of experienced players, selected and foreign, is a young man of only 18 years who has earned the confidence of Antonio Mohamed to play as a means of holding contention at the start of the tournament with Rayados . It has ball output, good control, vision and well-developed theft capability.
I will kind of miss it when the online translation software is perfected and we no longer get such unintentional bon mots like, "well-developed theft capability."
Starts in Copa MX: Estos son los 1️⃣1️⃣ #Rayados que saldrán a darlo todo por el triunfo en #CopaMX 🔵⚪️🏆 #VamosRayados 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Xk6UchdMMh— Rayados (@Rayados) August 10, 2017
UNAM salvaged a 1:1 draw at home at the death. Gonzalez was playing a Bedoya role in a 442 diamond or 451. I'd say he performed at Bedoya's normal level too. But I feel like this is somewhat a waste of his vision, quick passing talent, and ball skills. Problem is LigaMX teams seem to have 4 10's on the field at one time. Look at the deeper lying role Corona plays for Tijuana, or Torres did for Pachuca. Unlike those guys though, Gonzalez seems to have more projected utility for the nt because of defensive anticipation, tenacity, work-rate, decent mobility (it's pretty good for MX), and versatility. He seems to play with some real maturity. I think you can get a little excited here, for not necessarily a world beater (although don't want to short him on heights, could be another Stu), but at least a guy who should have a solid club career and be a nt regular. And it may not be very far away, because of said maturity, versatility, and other attributes a typical manager would like, keeping him in Monterrey's plans present and near future. My guess is he's on the bench for bigger matches, but will get his chances during the season to seize a starting spot eventually, and may take it.
Honestly the Stuart Holden comparison is right on. Super clean touch, good tempo passing. Strikes a ball well. Lean, quick body for pressing, great soccer brain.
Starts: XI Rayados: H. González; Medina, N. Sánchez, Basanta, Fuentes, J. González, Ortíz, C. Sánchez, Avilés Hurtado, Pabón, Funes Mori.— Zona TUDN (@Zona_TUDN) August 12, 2017
In the starting XI for the game tonight against Chivas. A humungous game for the young man. His nerves will be tested tonight as this game is sure to be played in front of a full stadium and be pretty intense both ways. I don't think we're talking about this kid enough. Estos son los 1️⃣1️⃣ #Rayados que saldrán a darlo todo por el triunfo en la jornada 4 🔵⚪️🏆 #VamosRayados 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ALJJDdn27o— Rayados (@Rayados) August 12, 2017
Well that's a mild pleasant surprise. He's being shown even more faith than I thought. Gotta take advantage of these golden opportunities though to be a made man. Coincidentally his manager looks like a Goombah. I'm not going to take the obvious joke in Mexican football right now from there.
Gonzalez turned down a contract offer from Chivas, one of his favorite childhood teams, because he wanted to play for the US
1-1 at the half. Overall, Monterrey dominated the half. But, Chivas scored the first goal in the third minute off a free kick. Luis Fuentes committed a dumb foul in a bad spot that set up Chivas's goal. Gonzalez got forward into the box a few times. He didn't have to do a lot on defense. It seemed like Monterrey's high pressure had Chivas pinned back for most of the half.
The players looked like they were gassed after about 30 minutes. The temperature is in the 90's in Monterrey, according to the internet. Humidity is not too bad. The pace of the game was very fast in the first 30 minutes.
He went the full 90 and Monterrey won 4-1. A few things I noticed... 1. He seemed to really understand his role and was always in the right place. His tactical understanding and willingness to just play his role is no doubt playing a role in his playing time. It's very rare to find a young player who has those kinds of positional skills. 2. He seemed to be completely unphased by the occasion. He never seemed panicky in possession and moved the ball quickly, exactly what you would want in your CM. 3. He had a really nice burst to him. You can be as technical/tactical as you'd like, but lacking athleticism can stunt a player in the long run, but he could fire off from a dead stop noticeably quickly. I was very impressed with that. All in all, he's been getting more comfortable and better each game, and this game should show his coach that he can continue to be trusted to play a role in the team.