http://us.segundosfuera.com/futbol_usa/liga_mexicana/ramon_nunez_quiere_triunfar_mexico_270089.html Ramón is a legal resident, not a citizen, despite having spent 15 years in the US. But he was brought up in the US system, was drafted by MLS and spent several years in the league. He has been playing for Olimpia in his "native" Honduras and for the Honduran U-23 and national teams. This is a nice move for him.
Interesting that Ramon moved to Puebla. They really sucked ass during the Apertura and desperately need a shot of adrenaline in the attacking department. Ramon can help. I had heard/read (can't remember) that a return to MLS was a really possibility. When the Clausura kicks off I plan on doing my weekly recap so I will include Ramon. With the accumulated point system they use in Mexico from the Apertura and Clausura it's gonna be a long, tough battle for the to stay in the Primera.
Nice move for Ramon and nice payday, too. Well-played by MLS letting him leave on a free. I've always thought Ramon had talent and he showed it for Honduras at the U23 and senior team levels. (An away brace against Canada in WC qualifying, for example.) But he could never find his niche in MLS; in part that's because he struggled with the physicality of the league and had attitude issues but I also think the coaches gave up on him. Of course, their job is to win now and they're all busy trying not to get fired so I don't blame them for that. But it's hard not to wonder if Ramon would have done better in MLS playing under a better situation. As for Ramon not playing for the US, he actually wanted to and expressed frustration several times that the USSF didn't do anything to help him. But, the real blame lies with his parents, who came to the US when he was four and never got a Green Card, which is why Ramon didn't get one till 2007 and by then he was cap-tied to Honduras. Had his parents bothered to apply for a Green Card when Ramon was an early teenager, perhaps he'd have gotten his citizenship by the time he was a young adult and would have been able to play for the US. (Whether he'd have been good enough is another question.)
BTW, as long as we're talking about "1/2 Yanks" in Mexico, it should be mentioned that Carlos Ochoa, who has a handful of caps for El Tri, was just loaned from Monterrey to C.D. Guadalajara - big Chivas. Ochoa was born in Mexico and moved to the US when he was 12. He scored a boatload of goals in HS in the US and then was an NAIA All American at Azusa Pacific, where he played for three seasons. He had an ill-fated tryout with the Galaxy in the 99 preseason (explained in this link http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2002/sa1522q.pdf ) and while that didn't work out, during it he met Carlos Hermosillo, who was with LA at the time, who arranged a tryout for him in Mexico and he's made a nice career for himself down there (and briefly in Spain).
Carlos Ochoa would have been a quality striker for the US. He has had a very productive career in Mexico and had his best years (in his mid-20's) when Arena's squads really struggled with its offensive depth. As I had posted in the opener, he does have a green card, so he is a US resident.
This is a little weak, IMHO. Nunez played for a couple of teams and a number of different coaches -- none of them could get any change out of him over the long term. So, I think casting aspertions on MLS, other than criticizing the style of play, is a bit silly, especially since I don't know if the Honduran league got anything for him. Sitting on the bench in MLS isn't going to earn MLS a big transfer fee.
No, but they had an assett and didn't develop it properly. Had they done so, perhaps they could have gotten something for Nunez.
As a Dallas fan, I would disagree with you here. He was given ample opportunity to develop, and he could never be consistent, or a good pro. He had temper tantrums and spouted off to the media a few times, which I doubt any coach would tolerate from an avg player. Stars yes, but not a guy who couldn't string together 3 consistent performances. He had lots of attacking flair, but his decision making and speed seem to hurt him. Plus he supposedly is a bit of a head case. He didn't develop because he wouldn't allow himself to develop, he thought he was good enough to star from day 1.
I was watching highlights on FSC+ and saw him starting scoring 2 goals in a game recently. MLS rejects are the Championship Stars?
He's not a star, its taken him 12 months to get a chance at starting after going on loan and proving himself in England. He's getting a run now thanks to some ridiculous referee decisions and some international call-ups. He's shown well though from what I've seen, in the game he scored two goals he missed a wide open net as well.
He is a US resident but not a citizen. I am not sure what this means for USMNT... although, somewhere in this thread it states he was playing with the Hungarian Nat Team. So he might be cap-tied already.
It means he never was, isn't now, and never will be eligible for the USMNT. And like Vedad Ibisevic, Rogelio Funes Mori, etc...............he's not a Yank Abroad.
"not a star in the championship" "took him 12 months" Due to stubborn coaching, it has taken him 12 months. Everybody at Leeds last season wanted Ramoncito to start...especially after he almost single handedly saved Scunthorpe from relegation and became an idol at the club. Hopefully he can contribute to the first team.
I love Ramon, he's one of my favorite players for a number of reasons, but he's not a star in the Championship. He could and probably should have been blooded into Leeds earlier than he was but Grayson's track record has always been to loan unproven players out to prove themselves at smaller clubs before giving them a chance.
Look, the guy spent most of his life in the US. He is more of an American than half of the kids on the U-17 team. And stuff.
Good player, Nunez. Has a good football brain and a non-stop engine. He should do well in the Mexican league.
Ramon is really stating his care to stay in the XI when players return as he just scored his first league goal for Leeds to make it 4-1 against Hull. El Principito Got very unlucky apparently as well early on as he hit the underside of the bar and it bounced back out.