GUADALAJARA, Mexico – He may not be used to the heat yet, but other than that, US U-20 forward Amando Moreno says he's settling in nicely at Club Tijuana.
Nine months after moving to Mexico, Moreno is still waiting for his Liga MX debut, although the 19-year-old has already featured for the first team in the Copa MX and is a regular for Xolos’ Under-20 side. And his form has kept him in Tab Ramos’ US Under-20 national-team squad, including for the most recent camp held in Marbella, Spain.
“At first, I was a little bit iffy about [the move to Tijuana], but now I’ve spent time here, I really enjoy being here,” Moreno told MLSsoccer.com in a phone conversation on Monday from Tijuana.
Moreno said he never really wanted to leave his hometown New York Red Bulls, the club that gave him his start with their academy and then with the first team via a Homegrown Player contract. He was willing to re-sign with the Red Bulls on new terms until his head was turned by the approach from Tijuana.
“I started with the Under-15s at Red Bulls,” Moreno said, still sporting his distinct New Jersey accent. “I just wanted to play for Red Bulls.”
When the offer from Club Tijuana came in, Moreno, whose father is Mexican, thought it would be “pretty cool” to play in Mexico, a league that was closely followed by the Moreno household during his younger years. It was still a difficult decision made even harder by the pull of his friends and family.
But after a 2013 season which saw him earn two sub appearances for RBNY's senior team, nine starts in the MLS Reserve League and a start in a US Open Cup match, Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke made it clear to Moreno at the time that he was still “third or fourth in the depth chart” at his position. So with U-20 teammate Paul Arriola already at Xolos, Moreno opted for a change of scenery in the hope that the reputation of then-Tijuana coach César Farías for promoting young players would help his quest for first-team minutes.
While he's still waiting for his first Liga MX appearance, he is also relishing his time with the US U-20s, even though he can also represent Mexico and El Salvador, the birth countries of his parents.
“I always enjoy playing with the national team; it’s such an honor,” Moreno said. “The best thing about it is being able to visit these wonderful places like Marbella [Spain]. It was absolutely beautiful there.”
Moreno featured as a left winger in the US Under-20s' 4-3-3 formation at the Marbella Tournament and has apparently impressed Ramos.
“Every time I get an opportunity to play, he says I take advantage of it and that he wants those kinds of players on his team,” Moreno said.
At Xolos, there has been a shift in position for the speedy Moreno. A winger with the Red Bulls and US Under-20s, he has played mainly as a striker for the Tijuana U-20s during this Apertura season, netting four goals in his nine starts
Xolos are in the U-20 playoffs and face Atlas in Tijuana on Wednesday, with the second leg of the quarterfinal in Guadalajara on Saturday. There could be up to seven Americans – Moreno, Arriola, Alejandro Guido, Stevie Rodriguez, Raul Rodriguez, John Requejo Jr. and Fernando Arce Jr. – in the Tijuana squad for both games.
Moreno said he gets on with all of them and admits that, “It doesn’t really seem like a Mexican team, because there are so many Americans here, and a lot of people speak English.”
The main thing missing for Moreno this year has been that elusive Liga MX debut. After being on the bench for two first-team matches this Apertura, he said that is his main goal in 2015.
“Hopefully when my time comes, I’ll take advantage,” said the confident Moreno. “I’m sure I will.”
Tom Marshall covers Americans based in Mexico for MLSsoccer.com.
