San Diego FC sign veteran forward Amahl Pellegrino from San Jose Earthquakes
Credit: SDFC
This Friday, August 22, San Diego FC officially announced the signing of veteran forward Amahl Pellegrino from the San Jose Earthquakes.
The 35-year-old winger is headed to San Diego in exchange for $300,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money.
San Jose will inclusively pay a portion of Pellegrino’s salary for the rest of this season. San Diego’s attacking options are running slim, and this is a move that adds plenty of depth to the attacking line.
SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps commented on the newest SDFC player. “Amahl is a player who has had tremendous success in Europe and contributed in big games throughout his career”, said Heaps.
The Norwegian forward only recently arrived to Major League Soccer with San Jose in 2024 after a long career in Europe. Pellegrino had plenty of activity in the 2024 season, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 32 games played.
Before his stint with the Earthquakes, Pellegrino’s entire career had been in Norway, barring a stint in Saudi Arabia with Damac in 2021. The biggest club Pellegrino has represented is arguably FK Bodo/Glimt.
The veteran forward enjoyed his best individual seasons with Glimt in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Pellegrino led the Eliteserien in scoring both seasons, with 25 goals in 20222 and 24 in 2023. Pellegrino also provided 14 assists in 2023 and 10 in 2022.
The former San Jose player also had a stellar 2020 season, scoring 25 goals with Kristiansund, which was good for second-best in the league. Pellegrino has not had much playing time this season with just five games as starter undert his belt.
The 35-year-old winger has only provided a goal and an assist in his limited playing time and has not played a game since June 13. Hirving Lozano recently had some fitness issues and was unable to play in the last game against San Jose. Lozano’s health has been a concern throughout the season, and Pellegrino has the ability to fill that void.
SDFC has plenty of inexperienced options in the forward positions, but the Norwegian veteran brings plenty of experience. It will be interesting to see how Mikey Varas implements Pellegrino into this squad and whether he is used as a starter going forward.
Francisco, 28, 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 FC, San Diego Wave. I have covered Liga MX, MLS, Mexico National Team, USWNT, Copa América and European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.