Liga MX's Chivas have reached an agreement with the San Jose Earthquakes for American winger Cade Cowell, sources told ESPN MX.
According multiple reportsChivas will pay the MLS team $4 million for the 20-year-old Mexican-American.
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Born in California, Cowell recently gained eligibility for Chivas, which only has domestic players on its roster, after receiving his Mexican passport in early January.
Despite the club's traditional stance in building its squad, Chivas has had several players hold dual nationality over the years and has also relaxed the rules regarding players needing to commit to the Mexico national team. Former striker Santiago Ormeño represented Peru internationally in 2022 while under contract with Chivas.
Cowell, who was eligible to represent Mexico, selected the United States and made his senior team debut in December 2021. Since then, the striker has racked up eight appearances and one goal at international level. Cowell's younger brother, Chance, has spent time on the US and Mexican youth national teams.
A member of the 2021 MLS All-Star team, Cowell has scored 10 goals since his debut in 2020 with San Jose, where he made 114 appearances.
Chivas is also close to making a move for the return of Mexico's all-time leading scorer, Javier Hernández. Sources told ESPN's Sergio Dipp last week that the LA Galaxy forward had given the green light for negotiations to begin on a potential contract.
In the previous Apertura 2023 tournament, Chivas finished fifth in the regular season and was subsequently eliminated in the quarterfinal playoff. The club mutually parted ways with coach Veljko Paunovic in December and replaced him with former Boca Juniors and Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago.
Chivas begins the Clausura 2024 season with a home opener against Santos Laguna on January 13.
