The calendar of Ezequiel Ponce wait for a date to mark it with a highlighter. Because beyond the fact that this Saturday he is authorized to debut in the MLS with the number 10 shirt of the Houston Dynamo -faces Vancouver at 11:30 p.m. Argentine time-, since he sealed his arrival in the United States he has -among other objectives- the desire to be able to exchange a sports gift with Lionel Messi.
Their Rosario roots are a common point between them, but also having represented the Argentine National Team. In fact, during the Copa América that the Albiceleste just won, Ponce was one more fan with his family, mainly when the quarterfinals against Ecuador placed them at the NRG stadium in that city in the state of Texas.
“Obviously you always look at Leo, the steps he is taking, what he is leaving behind and how this League has grown since his arrival. It is an important step for me, I hope to be able to take advantage of it and enjoy the MLS that is increasingly more competitive and more difficult to win each game. I see it as a place where I will evolve even more,” he confessed to Clarion the forward, 27 years old.
The date of crossing with the Inter Miamiwhich in September 2023 his new team deprived of winning the US Open Cup by defeating him in the final – where Messi could not play due to injury – is still not defined, because they are located in different Conferences and could only meet in the Playoffs of the MLS or in some other lateral competition. But, just in case, Ponce is already prepared.
“I met him on two occasions but he was very young and I didn’t have the courage to ask him.. I hope to be able to meet him soon and exchange a couple of photos and shirts,” he expressed, as a wish and with a tone of shame, being the only time he looked at the floor of the stadium locker room of the team that wears orange.
Coincidentally, it has been a decade since the appearance of Ponce, who was quickly nicknamed the ‘Tank’ for his offensive characteristics, one of those typical scoring center forwards. At 17 years old and with only 32 games played in Newell’s First Division, he was bought by the Rome of Italywhere he played on the ‘spring’ -youth- team until he jumped to the following season Granada from Spain.
His European journey later took him to Lille of France, Spartak Moscow, Elche of Spain y AEK Athenswhere it had two cycles, the last highly fruitful with Matías Jesús Almeyda as DT. At the foot of the Parthenon, Ponce scored 16 goals last season and seduced the Houston Dynamo, who He was encouraged to pay the most expensive transfer in its history so that the man from Rosario arrives as a franchise player and help them settle into the Playoff zone for the MLS title, since today they are in ninth place in the Western Conference. In total, there are 92 goals and 19 assists in 308 games as a professional. His family expanded with the arrival of Leon and Rebeca, the children he had with Martina, the woman who has been with him since his explosion.
In between, he also had the honor of reaching the Argentine National Team. It was Claudio Úbeda who first summoned him for the process that led to the 2017 Under 20 World Cup – where he played the three games in the group stage, although the Albiceleste was eliminated -, while later Fernando ‘Bocha’ Batista trusted him to the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, special due to the pandemic context.
In this process he experienced from within the paradigm shift of the Argentine National Team, which today shows it in a unique five-year period in history, with four consecutive titles in high-ranking tournaments such as the World Cup, the Copa América (2) and the Finalissima.
“What we have and the love for the National Team, the privilege of wearing a light blue and white shirt, is something incredible. The boys who are now part of this Era always felt it. That’s what led them to be at those levels, which they were able to maintain and I’m very happy that they have gotten this far,” he explained.
And that experience in Asian lands makes him a more than authorized voice to make a wish as advice for the 18 called by Javier Mascherano for Paris 2024, with the goal of the third gold medal and with four world champions among them ( Gerónimo Rulli, Nicolás Otamendi, Thiago Almada and Julián Álvarez).
“It is a unique experience, very nice. I hope you enjoy it to the fullest, that they can concentrate on what they are going for, that they are going to represent our country, and that they live this sport for what it is, love it and respect it on the playing field. Let them play for us, we will be watching and supporting them from every part of the world wishing them the best,” he concluded.
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