SAN JOSE, Calif. – As a player with no youth national team history and zero senior-level caps until the week before his 28th birthday, Chris Wondolowski has never taken his future with the US squad for granted.
That’s especially true this week, as the San Jose Earthquakes captain and his American teammates try to knock off Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup (9:30 pm ET; FS1, Univision, UDN).
Winning that match – and thus earning a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup – might be the last major act on the international stage for Wondolowski, who has collected 31 caps and 10 goals since making his US debut in 2011. Wondolowski will be 35 by the time the 2018 World Cup rolls around, and even for a striker with 109 career regular-season MLS goals, the actuarial tables at the international level are not kind.
“I also realize this is probably the last [call up],” Wondolowski told reporters last weekend, after scoring his 16th league goal of 2015 to give San Jose a 1-1 tie against Vancouver. “So I want to relish it, cherish it and enjoy it. Hopefully top it off with a win.
“... It’s a huge game, especially against Mexico, and an honor to be a part of it. I want to reward coach Jurgen [Klinsmann] for relying on me, and if I get the opportunity, I want to try to make the most of it.”
If Wondolowski is indeed dropped from Klinsmann’s plans after the US face Costa Rica on Tuesday at Red Bull Arena, it would be a natural place to end that chapter of Wondolowski’s career. The Americans open 2018 World Cup qualifying play on Nov. 13 against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, marking the start of another arduous cycle for the US, who have found the gap with CONCACAF narrowing, rather than widening, in recent years.
“You never know when it’s going to be your last, but especially with the World Cup cycle coming up, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Wondolowski said. “It is what it is, and that’s why I’m excited to make the most of this one right now.”
Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear wouldn’t necessarily count out his biggest star continuing to represent the Stars and Stripes.
“I think the one thing you can say with Chris is, ‘Don’t assume,’” Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com Thursday. “If you look at his record over the years, and where he’s come from – if there’s ever a wonderful story that can keep continuing, it definitely is his.
“Now, it all depends on the coach. What the coach likes for his group, on and off the field. And obviously, Jurgen can see something in Chris that’s very valuable to him, on and off the field. … Jurgen seems to have a lot of confidence in Chris, which is wonderful for him. And long may it continue.”
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There are no plans to request Wondolowski be held out from the Costa Rica match, even though he’ll only have two days of rest between that game and the Quakes’ must-win home date with Sporting Kansas City next Friday. Of course, Wondolowski flew from Philadelphia to Vancouver to start for the Quakes one day after the US’ third-place match at the Gold Cup this summer – so it always seemed unlikely that he would back out of a national-team commitment, even with San Jose’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
“It’s a great honor any time you get called,” Wondolowski said. “I appreciate it so much. It’s why I go out there and try to work as hard as I can, just try to make myself, the team, each guy better.”
To read all of MLSsoccer.com’s coverage of the CONCACAF Cup, visitour CONCACAF Cup page.
