Venezuelan soccer hero Juan Arango is heading to La Gran Manzana to team up with the New York Cosmos. He joins from Xolos de Tijuana – where he netted 11 goals in 45 appearances over two years – fresh off announcing his retirement from international fútbol last September.
Arango will be met by a familiar face in Cosmos’ Head Coach and Sporting Director Giovanni Savarese, a former teammate at Caracas FC and with the Venezuelan national team.
Savarese is elated by the arrival of the soon-to-be 36-year-old. “He is a player that can do things with the ball that only great players could do. His vision – he is somebody that thinks very quickly, sees plays quickly…I think he will be very good in our setup the way we play.”
Arango is La Vinotinto’s record holder in appearances (128) and goals scored (23). He represented his country from 1997 to 2015 and suited up for a staggering six Copa América competitions. He’s also one of very few venezolanos to hone their craft with a first division squad in Europe; he played 196 games for La Liga’s Mallorca before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga.
So why the move to the U.S.? According to Savarese, Arango wanted a new adventure to finish off his fantastic career, and what better place to get one than with a historic club and former colleague?
The Cosmos did us all a favor and compiled a highlight reel of Arangols to welcome the crack. Peep the video below.