Cruz Medina

Cruz Medina
Personal information
Full name Cruz Ivan Medina
Date of birth (2006-09-24) September 24, 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth San Francisco, California, United States[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 The Town FC
Number 99
Youth career
2010–2017 Bay City Club
2017–2019 San Francisco Glens
2019–2022 San Jose Earthquakes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– The Town FC 39 (3)
2022– San Jose Earthquakes 0 (0)
International career‡
2022 United States U16 3 (1)
2022–2023 United States U17 19 (6)
2024 United States U19 3 (0)
2024 United States U20 6 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  United States
CONCACAF U-20 Championship
Runner-up 2024 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:51, October 11, 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 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.

References

  1. ^ "Promesa mexicoamericana de MLS se prueba con Bayern Munich". TUDN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  2. ^ Service, Wire (August 4, 2019). "SF Glens prodigy Cruz Medina to join San Jose Earthquakes academy". San Francisco Examiner.
  3. ^ a b Total, Futbol (February 22, 2022). "Cruz Medina, mexicoamericano que se prueba en el Bayern Munich". Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Eskilson, J. R. (June 3, 2022). "San Jose signs top prospect in California to HG contract". Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry. "Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football". the Guardian. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Medina, Gil, Diaz headline USMNT U-17 roster for Concacaf Championship - SBI Soccer". sbisoccer.com. February 4, 2023. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.