Cruz Medina Explained

Cruz Medina
Fullname:Cruz Ivan Medina
Birth Date:24 September 2006
Birth Place:San Francisco, California, United States[1]
Height:1.75m
Position:Midfielder
Currentclub:The Town FC
Clubnumber:99
Youthyears1:2010–2017
Youthclubs1:Bay City Club
Youthyears2:2017–2019
Youthclubs2:San Francisco Glens
Youthyears3:2019–2022
Youthclubs3:San Jose Earthquakes
Years1:2022–
Caps1:39
Goals1:3
Nationalyears1:2022
Nationalteam1:United States U16
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2022–
Nationalteam2:United States U17
Nationalcaps2:19
Nationalgoals2:6
Pcupdate:18:51, October 11, 2023 (UTC)
Ntupdate:18:51, October 11, 2023 (UTC)

Cruz Ivan Medina (born September 24, 2006) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the San Jose Earthquakes.

Career

Medina began played soccer at the age of 4 with the Bay City Club, where his father was the manager. From 2017 through 2019, he played for the San Francisco Glens in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, tallying 31 goals and 28 assists at the Under-13 level. On August 4, 2019, he moved to the youth academy of the San Jose Earthquakes.[2] He earned the U15 Golden Ball at the 2021 MLS Next Cup and went on trial with European giants Bayern Munich.[3] On June 3, 2022, he signed a homegrown contract with the San Jose Earthquakes until 2027 at the age of 15 years and 252 days old, the third youngest to do so at that time.[4]

For his first two seasons as a developing professional (2022–23), Medina played with the Earthquakes' second team in MLS NEXT Pro, which will now be known as The Town FC starting with the 2024 season. He made his Quakes first-team debut at age 15 on July 20, 2022, in a friendly against Spanish club Celta de Vigo. As a member of Earthquakes II in 2023, Medina collected two goals and two assists to help the club qualify for its first ever berth in the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. In October 2023, he was named to The Guardian's Next Generation 2023 list of the best young talents in world football.[5]

International career

Born in the United States, Medina is of Mexican descent through his grandparents.[3] He played for the United States U-17s as they came in second for the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.[6] He later started multiple games for the U.S. U-17 team in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, reaching the Round of 16. In March 2024, he joined the Mexico U-20 team for training camp before reporting back to the U.S. U-19 team training camp two weeks later.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Promesa mexicoamericana de MLS se prueba con Bayern Munich. TUDN. October 12, 2023. October 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231012080912/https://www.tudn.com/. live.
  2. Web site: SF Glens prodigy Cruz Medina to join San Jose Earthquakes academy. Wire. Service. August 4, 2019. San Francisco Examiner.
  3. Web site: Cruz Medina, mexicoamericano que se prueba en el Bayern Munich. Futbol. Total. February 22, 2022. October 12, 2023. May 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521101456/https://www.futboltotal.com.mx/futbol-internacional/mls-futbol-internacional/cruz-medina-mexicoamericano-que-se-prueba-en-el-bayern-munich/2022/02. live.
  4. Web site: San Jose signs top prospect in California to HG contract. J. R.. Eskilson. June 3, 2022. October 12, 2023. June 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220603175006/https://www.prepsoccer.com/2022/06/san-jose-signs-top-prospect-in-california-to-hg-contract/. live.
  5. Web site: Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football. Marcus. Christenson. Steven. Bloor. Garry. Blight. the Guardian. October 12, 2023. October 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231012014039/https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2023/oct/11/next-generation-2023-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football. live.
  6. Web site: Medina, Gil, Diaz headline USMNT U-17 roster for Concacaf Championship - SBI Soccer. February 4, 2023. sbisoccer.com. October 12, 2023. March 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230330050644/https://sbisoccer.com/2023/02/medina-gil-diaz-headline-usmnt-u-17-roster-for-concacaf-championship. live.