CARSON, Calif. — First, there were rumors floating around that he might be leaving Mexican First Division side Tigres UANL to return to Los Angeles.
Then he showed up at practice last week and began training with the Red-and-White.
Now, he has re-signed with Chivas USA to make it official: Paulo Nagamura is back.
“I’m very happy to be here,” said Nagamura after watching Saturday evening’s Chivas USA match. “I had a great experience in Mexico, but I have a lot of friends here, and I have a good relationship with this club.”
The 27-year-old Brazilian inked a new contract with Chivas USA on Friday, which returns him to the squad after six months in Mexico. He had formerly been with the Red-and-White from 2007 to 2009, making 73 appearances for the team during that time.
Nagamura returns to a Chivas USA side that currently sits in last place in the Western Conference. The team is mired in a club-record six-game losing streak and has scored just five times in the last 540 minutes of play.
“I’m not the savior,” said Nagamura of Chivas USA’s current troubles. “We have to work on our mistakes and change our attitude. But we’re going to be all right. We have plenty of quality here in this locker room and, with a lot of work, we’re going to put a stop to this bad streak.”
Nagamura won’t be eligible to play until the transfer window opens on July 15. Assuming all goes well with his International Transfer Certificate, his first game back with Chivas USA could be the team’s Superliga match against Mexican First Division side Puebla FC on July 15.
Until then, he is happy to be back in training at The Home Depot Center and will spend the next two weeks getting to know his new teammates and new head coach Martín Vásquez.
“I’ve started to get my fitness back,” he said. “Hopefully, in these two weeks, I’ll get myself to 100 percent so I’m ready for when I can play on July 15. I’m going to be working with the team, so that when I step on the field, I know my teammates well.”
Join the Debate! MLSsoccer.com's "ExtraTime Radio" is LIVE every day during the World Cup, 5-7 pm ET. Call in at 888-MLS-GOAL.
