MEXICO CITY ( Associated Press) — Uruguay striker Jonathan Rodriguez, whose goal last year ended Cruz Azul’s title-long drought, will return to Mexican football but now to serve in the US, the capital’s arch rivals.
“Welcome to the Eagles, Jonathan Rodriguez,” America published in a tweet on Tuesday alongside a photo of the Uruguay striker dressed in the team’s colors.
“Cabesita” Rodriguez, 28, emerged from the lower divisions of Atlético Florida and also played for Pearol in his home country. He has also played for Benfica in Portugal as well as Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul in Mexico.
With that last team, he scored the decisive goal for the cement team to defeat Santos in the final, breaking a 1997 curse.
Rodriguez later left for football in Saudi Arabia to join the Al-Nasr club, where his time was fleeting before his return to Liga MX. He scored only four goals in 22 matches in Saudi football and was dropped from a team preparing to play in the World Cup.
A good performance in Mexico could re-open the doors for the Diego Alonso-led side.
Mexican football’s most successful Club America with 13 league titles in its history, however, has not been crowned since the 2018 Apertura. Most recently in the 2022 Clausura, it was eliminated in the semi-finals.
“Calm down, Azulcremas, I’m already Aguila,” Rodriguez tweeted in a short video by the Mexican team, after days of speculation in the press about the recruitment.
