Juninho is the latest LA Galaxy player to try and make it in Liga MX.
By Ivan Yeo
Another LA Galaxy player is headed to Liga MX.
Just days after selling Omar Gonzalez to Pachuca, the Galaxy continued its roster overhaul by transferring midfielder Juninho to Club Tijuana.
Juninho came to the Galaxy from Brazil’s São Paulo on loan and was actually one of three players to come to LA on loan, the other two behind Center Back Leonardo and Alex Cazumba, who is no longer with the team.
Juninho turned out to be the most talented of the three, as he went on make 187 appearences for the team, 180 of those as a starter and scored 18 goals and assisting 23 goals. Juninho helped the Galaxy win MLS Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and scored the goal that sent the Galaxy to the 2014 final. This past season, Juninho finally earned himself the recognition that had eluded him in the past, as he earned his first and only selection to the MLS All-Star team.
Juninho established himself in the central midfield, first with David Beckham, then with fellow Brazilian Marcelo Sarvas. This year however, Juninho, a Box-to-Box midfielder, had trouble fitting with the attacked-minded Steven Gerrard, which left the defense vulnerable to scoring chances numerous times in the second half of the season.
With Gerrard under contract for one more season and Juninho’s agent hinting at his client exploring opportunities elsewhere, Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena apparently opted to let Juninho have that chance now.
