Chivas USA Adds Colombian Defender And Salvadorian Youth Standout

Jan 24 5:30p by Ryan Rosenblatt

Chivas USA opened training camp with just 19 players on their roster, leaving Robin Fraser plenty of work to do as he fills out his team and he took care of some of that work on Tuesday when he signed defender John Valencia and Marvin Iraheta. The Goats still have a lot of work to do before the season opens in seven weeks, but they are now up to 21 players and have made what appear to be two solid additions to their squad.

Valencia comes to Chivas from Atletico Junior, where he helped them win the Colombian league last year. At 6-foot-4, Valencia will be an imposing force along Chivas' back line and provide additional defensive depth to a side short on it at the moment.

"John is a player we have been scouting for some time now," said Chivas USA General Manager, Jose Domene. "He is a great defender that just became champion in Colombia and will help reinforce our backline and help our team win. We are looking forward to his arrival and having him on the Goats squad."

Iraheta is a bit more intriguing. He was a standout for Cosmos West and was named Developmental Academy Player of the Year in 2010, then became a part of the Chivas academy when Cosmos West closed and was absorbed by Chivas. At 19 years old, he's still young and not far off from his youth glory days, but he's yet to appear professionally except for the Cosmos' friendly against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he is stepp into a loaded Goats midfield.