
MLS maestros: The No. 10s lighting up MLS and bucking the global trend
Some have proclaimed the death of the traditional playmaker. A look around MLS tells a very different story.
HOW ACQUIRED: Transferred from Tigres UANL and signed as a Designated Player on Dec. 20, 2019.
Able to both score and create goals, Zelarayan was a mainstay of an-all conquering Tigres team, where he won six domestic titles and one international crown. He has also featured for Tigres in the Concacaf Champions League and the Copa Sudamericana. Zelarayan had six goals and four assists in the regular season, but saved his best for the playoffs, specifically MLS Cup where he captured MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi honors with two goals and an assist. The Argentine had 30 shot-creating actions in four playoff games.
OUTSIDE MLS: Since joining Tigres in December 2015, Zelarayan scored 23 goals and added 14 assists in 139 appearances in all competitions. His highlights include a goal and an assist in the final of the Campeon de Campeones in 2018 as Tigres beat Santos Laguna 4-0. In his final half-season for Tigres, Zelarayan scored four goals in 15 appearances during the 2019 Apertura.