José Antonio Castro

José Antonio Castro González (born 11 August 1980) is a Mexican former professional footballer and current manager of the Mexico national under-15 team. He gained notoriety for his performances with Club América and at the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Mexico. He is often referred to by his nickname "El Gringo".

Club career Known for his speed and solid defensive work rate, Castro was a good marker and counter-attacker who was trained in the Club América youth system. He made his debut in the Mexican Championship against Leon in the 2000–2001 season. After receiving little playing time in his first two seasons with the senior team, Castro became a vital player for the club in the Verano 2002 season, displaying fine form which helped Club América win the Mexican league championships in 2002 and the Clausura title in 2005. The talented wingback was a key player and is one of the two players (the other being Guillermo Ochoa) to have started every game of the 2004–2005 season. For the Clausura 2008, El Gringo had the responsibility of being the vice-captain of Las Águilas since Duilio Davino left the club and Germán Villa was given the job of being the team's captain. After a poor season with Club América, El Gringo was put on the transfer list. On December 5, 2008, Castro was loaned to Tigres UANL for an undisclosed fee.

International career Castro made his international debut for the Mexico national team in Los Angeles in a friendly match against Argentina on February 4, 2003. Ricardo La Volpe played him as a right winger as usual, but as a midfielder instead of defender. He played his first World Cup match against Portugal in Germany, a game which the Mexicans lost 2–1. Despite the team losing the match, Castro helped his country reach the Round of 16 where they played against Argentina. Since then, he has been called up to play friendly matches. He was even called up to play the 2007 editions of the Gold Cup and Copa América for Mexico. Recently, he was called up by Mexico coach Javier Aguirre for the 2009 Gold Cup. He scored his only international goal against the United States in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final.

Honours América Mexican Primera División: Verano 2002, Clausura 2005 Campeón de Campeones: 2005 CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 2006 CONCACAF Giants Cup: 2001

Tigres UANL North American SuperLiga: 2009

Mexico CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009

Individual Mexican Primera División Best Defensive Wing Back: Apertura 2005

Career statistics International

National team Year Apps GoalsMexico 2003 5 0 2005 1 0 2006 8 0 2007 8 0 2008 1 0 2009 11 1 2010 1 0 Total 35 1

International goals Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first. Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. July 26, 2009 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States 4–0 5–0 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup