GOAL

Sporting Kansas City has announced the acquisition of Mexico international striker Alan Pulido as a Designated Player. 

Pulido joins from Chivas de Guadalajara for a club-record transfer fee, reported to be in the region of $9.5 million.

The 28-year-old has signed a four-year contract that will keep him with Sporting KC through the 2023 MLS season.

“We are very excited to add Alan Pulido to our roster ahead of the new season,” manager Peter Vermes said in a club release.

“He is a winner, has a terrific work rate and embodies all of the attributes we value at our club. We also want to thank Chivas for being an incredibly professional partner and appreciate the relationship we have created with them.

"Alan is ready for this new challenge and looks forward to getting started with us on the field in January.”

Pulido moves to the United States after tying for the scoring lead in the recently completed Apertura, scoring 12 goals in 18 Liga MX appearances.

The native of Ciudad Victoria, Mexico has scored more than 100 goals for club and country in a professional career that has seen him represent multiple clubs in Mexico and Greece.

Pulido came up through the Tigres academy and graduated to the professional ranks before moving to Levadiakos and then Olympiacos in Greece. 

The striker returned home to Mexico in 2016 when Chivas paid a club-record fee to land Pulido. 

His time at Chivas saw him win a domestic title with the 2017 Clausura as well as a continental championship with the 2018 Concacaf Champions League.

At the international level, Pulido has scored five goals in 13 appearances for the Mexico national team, making his El Tri debut in 2014.

For Sporting KC, Pulido's signing is a statement of intent after a 2019 season that saw its run of eight straight seasons making the postseason end. 

Vermes promised that the club would spend like never before, telling the Kansas City Star that its owners were ready to make an “injection of capital."

Pulido's signing follows the additions of Croatian defender Roberto Puncec from HNK Rijeka and Khiry Shelton, who will return to the club from Bundesliga side Paderborn