While catching up on all the Copa Mexico action via Twitter, I saw a name of a player I hadn’t thought of in a while. Edgar Ivan Pacheco. I got me thinking..
The last time I heard about him was when he turned down MLS, more specifically Houston. The deal was as good as done: transfer fee agreed to and salary parameters established. Ultimately, it came down to him saying no because he felt it wasn’t the right time to move to USA. Whether that meant he thought he was too good for the league or he was expecting a bigger offer to come in, I don’t know.
When MLS was trying to buy him, he had only just made his 2nd senior Mexico appearance. He had scored his first goal in that game. Pacheco had just turned 21 and the hype train had been chugging along for a while. Avid Football Manager players were aware of his potential and he was considered a wunderkind in FM11.
Tell me if those circumstances sound vaguely familiar to you. A 21yr old Mexican international who had just broken into senior side w/ a couple caps and a goal. A player who had an offer from Houston to come be their young Mexican Designated Player. A player who had been expected to break through and be a staple on El Tri. A player with an option to go back to LigaMX or sign permanently to MLS.
So what happened to Pacheco after he turned down MLS? Benfica were rumored to want him but an offer never materialized. Same with Getafe and Salamanca. Instead he went to Tigres because when you’re a young player, you want to play for Tuca Ferretti. He never played more than 309 Liga MX minutes in a season for Tigres. He spent his time there on the bench and out on loan. Pacheco only managed 1 Copa Mexico goal while at Tigres. He is currently at Queretaro where he has not started a league game in 2015. His international career? Stalled as well. No Mexico caps since 2011. He is still young enough that he can turn around his career but he is nowhere near the national team radar at the moment.
As for that other player, he decided to have his cake and eat it too. Look for him to suit up for Houston this Summer and join me as I pray to the football gods that, his career takes a different path.