San Diego FC signs young midfielder Alejandro Alvarado Jr.
Credit: SDFC
This Tuesday, January 14, San Diego FC officially announced the signing of midfielder Alejandro Alvarado Jr.
The 21-year-old is coming over from Portuguese team FC Vizela on a contract through the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028.
Alvarado is a Los Angeles native and is an LA Galaxy youth academy product, but he has never played in MLS. Alvarado was only able to play with LA Galaxy II in the second tier of the American football pyramid.
Since 2021, the Los Angeles native has been in Portugal with Vizela, this also includes a loan spell with Vianese. Alvarado has played in a handful of top-flight Portuguese league games, but Vizela is currently in the second-tier league.
The 21-year-old player has also represented the USMNT at the U-16 and U-20 levels. Arguably, Alvarado’s best tournament in his career was at the 2022 U-20 CONCACAF Championship, where he scored a goal and provided two assists in a tournament that the U.S. won.
“Alejandro is a talented, technical midfielder with a bright future ahead and we look forward to work with him and continue his development at SDFC”, said SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps.
There are already some similar players to Alvarado on San Diego’s roster like recent signing Onni Valakari. Given Alvarado’s scarce playing time in top-flight leagues in recent seasons and his age, it is unclear if SDFC will loan him out somewhere in the near future.
San Diego FC has added some veteran players in recent weeks but has maintained a very young core of footballers heading into the MLS season. Recently, Tyler Heaps revealed that there are still some key players to sign before February 23, and it will be interesting to see if any other splash signings come.
SDFC will continue training all week at Sharp HealthCare Performance Center ahead of the preseason games to come.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.