JUAN ARANGO SIGNS WITH XOLOITZCUINTLES

TIJUANA –Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente de Caliente signed Venezuelan National Team captain Juan Arango, 34, of Maracay, Aragua. Arango comes to Tijuana from Club Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German First Divison (Bundesliga).

Club Tijuana will count on Arango’s magical left leg starting in the LIGA Bancomer MX-2014 Apertura tournament. Arango is known at the international level for his ability to strike and bend the ball and is recognized as one of the best ball strikers off set pieces. Arango is also considered one of the top players coming out of South America.

Arango is a lefty midfielder with great offensive skills that helped earn him a spotlight outside of his native country and helped draw attention to Venezuelan soccer. Arango has had a successful international career playing in Mexico, Spain and Germany.

The Maracay, Venezuela native began his professional soccer career at age 17 with a team named Nueva Cadiz FC where he helped the team become a noticeable team in Venezuelan soccer. Under coach Cesar Farias, he helped lead Nueva Cadiz FC from the Third Division in 1996 to the First Division in 1998. In 1999, he continued with the same team, which changed its name to Zulianos FC to compete in the First Division. Arango also played with Caracas FC that season (1999-2000) where he became a standout after scoring five goals. He left Venezuela in 2000 to play for Rayados de Monterrey (2000-2002) in the Mexican First Division. He went on to sign with Pachuca FC (2003-2004) and later went on to play for Puebla FC (2003-2004), a team coached by Ignacio Palou, Club Tijuana’s current General Manager. Arango has played in 133 games and scored 30 goals in the Mexican First Division.

Arango went on to play in Europe in 2004 when he signed with RCD Mallorca of the Spanish First Division where he became one of the best players in that club’s history during his five seasons there. Arango played in 195 games and scored 50 goals while registering 32 assists.

During the 2009-2010 campaign, Arango signed with Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German First Division also known as the Bundesliga. He remained there until 2014. He was a versatile midfielder in the Bundesliga where he played in 155 matches and scored 25 goals and set up 33 assists. 

Arango was called to the Venezuelan national team since he began playing in the Venezuelan First Division. He was first called up to the “Vinotinto” in 1999. Arango has played in four World Cup Qualifying tournaments (Korea-Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014). He was named to the All-Star team of players who will not be in the 204 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Venezuela did not qualify to this year’s World Cup. He has also played in five Copa America South American tournaments (Paraguay 1999, Colombia 2001, Peru 2002, Venezuela 2007 and Argentina 2011. Arango has played in 118 international matches with the national team and has scored 25 goals, which 12 of those came during World Cup qualifying, two during Copa America and 11 in friendly matches.

For the 2014-2015 season, Arango joins Club Tijuana and reunites with Farias, his first coach at Nueva Cadiz FC (1996) and the national team where Farias also coached since 2010. Arango joins Club Tijuana to help the team reach its goals in the next LIGA Bancomer MX tournament, which begins the second week of July.