LA Galaxy’s Julian Araujo officially files international switch to Mexico

After months of speculation, the news is official regarding Julian Araujo: He will be representing Mexico on the international stage.

FIFA announced on Monday that the LA Galaxy defender’s one-time switch from the United States to Mexico has been filed and approved, and therefore he is eligible to represent El Tri moving forward, and permanently.

Araujo, 20, is enjoying a breakout season for the Galaxy, the right back a fixture in the lineup. Although he was called up earlier this year by the United States and played in U-23 Concacaf men’s Olympic qualifying in the spring, he declined the U.S. Men’s National Team call-up as he sought to make a decision about his international future.

Another dual national on the Galaxy, Efrain Alvarez, also permanently committed to Mexico this year and played for El Tri at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer. And there is a compelling case to be made that Araujo may have an easier path to playing time on international level with Mexico than the United States based on his position. Of course, it will all depend on the player’s form and whether they get call-ups, but hopefully Araujo got some assurance from FMF and Gerardo Martino that they are genuinely interested in calling him up. We’ll see.

But now Araujo’s international future is decided and hopefully he can press on even better with his club and continue to perform.

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