Liga MX’s Club America Signs Nestor Araujo & Jurgen Damm

Nestor Araujo and Jurgen Damm has joined the Club

Liga MX giants Club America have announced the signings of the 30-year-old Mexican professional footballer and the 29-year-old Mexican professional footballer.

Nestor Araujo & Jurgen DammThe news was made official on Friday, just eight days away from the team’s 2022 Apertura season-opener against Atlas on July 2.

Club America will pay Celta Vigo up to $4 million for Araujo, with $3 million up front and the rest determined by performance-related incentives, according to Spain’s Faro de Vigo.

The central defender has signed a three-year deal with Las Aguilas, reported ESPN MX.

Damm, who has been part of Club America’s preseason training, will have a six-month contract with a possible six-month extension.

Damm has yet to play an official match in 2022 after Atlanta United exercised an offseason buyout of his guaranteed contract in February. Prior to his stint in MLS from 2020-21, he played for Tigres in Liga MX.

Araujo is returning from Europe after a four-season stay with Celta Vigo in LaLiga. He was a key figure for the mid-table Spanish side that narrowly avoided relegation when he arrived in 2018. The veteran will look to continue claiming regular minutes ahead of an expected spot on Mexico’s roster for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The signings of Araujo and Damm follow Club America’s headline-stealing addition of Uruguay forward Jonathan “Cabecita” Rodriguez earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Las Aguilas gained a 5-2 preseason win over Leon at San Jose EarthquakesPayPal Park. Manager Fernando Ortiz and his roster will soon head back to Mexico City, where they will prepare for next week’s start of the 2022 Apertura.

Orbelin Pineda Joins LaLiga Side Celta Vego

Orbelin Pineda is heading to LaLiga

The 25-year-old Mexican professional footballer and Mexico international has joined LaLiga side Celta Vigo from Liga MX club Cruz Azul.

Orbelin Pineda 

The move comes after several months of rumors about a potential deal, with Celta confirming Pineda will have a five-year contract through June 2027.

Pineda’s career has been on the rise in the last couple of years for club and country and is expected to bolster Celta’s attack, playing on the wings or in a more interior midfield role.

With Cruz Azul, he was a key figure who helped them end their title drought through a Liga MX championship in the 2021 Clausura.

With the Mexican national team, he has recently established himself as a reliable option for manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino through six World Cup qualifying appearances in 2021.

At Celta, he’ll now be tasked with helping rejuvenate the Galician side that have made a very gradual and slow climb out of the bottom and into the mid-table of Spain’s top flight this season.

Pineda’s transfer is the first and only move so far of the winter window for a Mexican talent from Liga MX into a major European league.

Liga MX has proven to be an insular transfer market that can hold onto domestic names like Pineda, and in his case, the player had to wait until he was a free agent to make the leap to Spain.

Now at Celta, Pineda will play alongside fellow El Tri teammate, defender Nestor Araujo. Celta’s coach, Eduardo “Chacho” Coudet, also spent time in Liga MX through a short stint as manager of Club Tijuana in 2017.

https://twitter.com/RCCeltaEN/status/1479471663897100292

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano Among Players Called Up by Mexico for World Cup Qualifiers vs. U.S., Canada

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is getting called up…

The 26-year-old Mexican professional footballer, who plays for Napoli, will headline a strong squad when Mexico faces its last World Cup qualifiers of 2021.

Hirving "Chucky" LozanoLozano will be joined by Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez and 24 other players by Mexico manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino to face the United States and Canada for two tough road games to close out their 2021 schedule.

El Tri will face the Stars and Stripes on November 12 in Cincinnati before facing off against the Canadians four days later in Edmonton.

In total, Martino named eight Europe-based players to the squad, with Lozano, Jimenez and Porto winger Jesus “Tecatito” Corona once again expected to head Mexico’s attack.

Atletico Madrid‘s Hector Herrera was also recalled, along with veteran central midfielder Andres Guardado (Real Betis).

Edson Alvarez (Ajax), fresh off qualifying to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, is another star named to Martino’s squad.

Johan Vasquez (Genoa) and Nestor Araujo (Celta Vigo) are expected to anchor the central defense.

Among those who’ll miss out on this window include Betis winger Diego Lainez and Genk defender Gerardo Arteaga. Lainez has been slowly coming back into the fold for Betis after an injury sidelined him for the first months of the season.

Arteaga, on the other hand, has featured regularly for the Belgian side but has reportedly received the ire of Martino for declining a previous call-up. In Arteaga’s absence, Liga MX stars Luis Rodriguez (Tigres) and Jorge Sanchez (Club America) are expected to start in the full-back positions.

Veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (Club America) heads the goalkeeping position, along with Rodolfo Cota (Leon) and Alfredo Talavera (UNAM).

Other Liga MX-based forwards named to the team include Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey) and Henry Martin (Club America).

With 14 points in six matches, Mexico currently sits first in CONCACAF‘s final round of World Cup qualifying, three more than second-place U.S. and four more than Canada.