Chicharito to Become Atlético Dallas’ First-Ever Signing

July 28, 2026 Football Freak MLS, News, Transfers
Chicharito Hernández playing for mexico shown from front hands in air celebrating goal
Светлана Бекетова, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons

Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, is set to join Atlético Dallas, the new USL Championship expansion club, as the first player signed in its history. The 38-year-old striker has agreed a two-year deal with the option of a third season, subject to league and federation approval.

Atlético Dallas will begin competing in 2027 in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer, below Major League Soccer. Hernández will officially start playing then, though the club expects him to contribute to the project straight away.

A New Start

Chicharito Hernández playing for mexico shown from behind hands in air celebrating goal
Светлана Бекетова, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Atlético Madrid midfielder Peter Luccin, who has also coached FC Dallas, was appointed the club’s first head coach earlier this year. The USL Championship has increasingly attracted recognisable names as the American game grows and few arrivals carry the profile of Hernández. He made his name at Chivas before a move to Manchester United in 2010, where he won two Premier League titles and became the bane of many clubs’ existence thanks to his late goals and unnerving eye when facing down goalkeepers in the English top-flight.

Spells at Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham United, Sevilla and LA Galaxy followed, along with a return to Chivas in his homeland. Along the way, he became a familiar face in European football and a favourite with supporters wherever he played. He remains the record goalscorer for the Mexican national team. For a club yet to kick a competitive ball, landing a forward of Hernández’s stature is a clear statement of ambition. His name alone will draw attention to a franchise still trying to establish itself, as well as fans to the ground for matches.

Supporters in the Dallas area will now have a genuine star to rally behind before a ball has been kicked. His experience should also prove invaluable to the younger players around him, as the club builds towards its debut season. Whether the veteran still has the sharpness to lead the line at this level remains to be seen, but few signings could have announced Atlético Dallas’ arrival more loudly than this one. He obviously isn’t the same player that he was when he lined up at Old Trafford, but the American football crowd will be more than pleased to sign him playing for one of the newest teams on the block.