Chivas finally looks ready to share

How he does in Guadalajara in some way could reflect the strength of MLS. The arrival of Aarón Galindo was seen as a bit of a coup, as the defender has had success with Cruz Azul and the Mexican national team and joined Chivas from German side Eintracht Frankfurt. Mendoza's transaction was mostly followed only by the local media and, even then, he's still considered an unknown because of MLS' relative obscurity in Mexico

Now, Mendoza may not be the best player to represent MLS in Mexico. His finishing skills were poor and showed little improvement during his stay with Chivas USA. Some fans were even clamoring for cult icon Jorge Flores -- winner of the reality show Sueño MLS -- to see more time after he scored three goals in three games last summer.

But having an MLS product succeed in Mexico would be a positive for the league. If the U.S. national team's success and tournaments such as SuperLiga haven't heightened MLS' presence down south, perhaps this sort of infiltration into the Mexican league -- at one of its highest-profile clubs -- could be a way for MLS to gain whatever little bit of respect it can.

Still, Mendoza will have to earn his time on the field. His opportunity likely will be in the Libertadores. It's unrealistic to expect him to step in and start for Chivas from the beginning of the season, but if he gets playing time and makes the most of it, he could force coach Efraín Flores to use him more in league play. Flores, after all, always has been open to having Mendoza as part of the team and was one of the youngster's more vocal supporters during the time he was on loan with the club.