Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
After spending the first two years of his professional career at Tigres UANL, Juan Pablo Ocegueda has earned big move to Chivas Guadalajara.
Chivas announced the acquisition on Friday evening, bringing the former U.S. Under-20 defender into the club on loan with an option to buy. Ocegueda will join the Chivas U-20 team for the time being, and is eligible to play his first match on Saturday against Chiapas U-20.
As with any player on the books of Chivas, Ocegueda, a Mexican-American, must accept a pledge to not represent the U.S. in international competitions, something that Ocegueda seems to acknowledge via his Twitter account. However, U.S. fans shouldn’t worry too much, as the 20-year-old isn’t likely to be called up to the USMNT or even a potential U.S. Olympic squad for at least another two years, by which time Ocegueda could have moved on to another club.
With the U.S. Under-20 squad at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last month in Turkey, Ocegueda started all three U.S. matches, scoring no goals but earning one yellow card. He was also a regular starter in the side that finished runner-up in the 2013 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in March.
The Riverside, California native moved to Tigres UANL in 2011.
What do you think of this news? Do you see Ocegueda breaking into the Chivas first team? Do you see Ocegueda featuring in a USA shirt again?
Share your thoughts below.