Cade Cowell could become a fan favorite if he continues to fill the stat sheet during his second season with Chivas-Guadalajara.
The Ceres native/20-year-old winger collected three goals and one assist through the Liga MX soccer club’s first four matches of the 2024-25 campaign.
“There’s always pros and cons with such a humongous fan base,” Cowell said in an interview with The Athletic following his record-breaking signing with Chivas in January. “If you do well, you’re their Cristiano Ronaldo. If you do bad, they want to throw rocks at you. I think it’s really good. For me, the only thing I can control is how hard I work every day. When I’m on the field, I give my 100 percent. I think they’ll see that and respect that.”
Cowell scored goals in three straight matches.
“He (Cowell) completed the preseason in a very good way,” Chivas head coach Fernando Gago stated in a postgame press conference last week. “The conditions he has, in one-on-one duels, are natural. From his speed, his power, understanding situations of when he has to attack and when not to.
“We’re working on aspects so that he has more space to play and receive in certain circumstances. He is at a very good level and we will work to ensure that he continues to do so.”
Cowell joined Chivas in January of 2024.
Chivas acquired Cowell from the San Jose Earthquakes for a Major League Soccer (MLS) club-record fee of $4-plus million.
“I’m looking forward to just getting a fresh start and a mental refresh,” Cowell said in a past interview with the Ceres Courier. “I cannot wait to play in front of these crowds and in a culture that loves soccer in the way that they do. Things will be more challenging here but I am looking forward to the competition and getting better as a player. This club will give me the resources to do that.”
Cowell totaled four goals and two assists during his first season with Chivas, including three in Concacaf Champions Cup play.
He logged playing time in 17 matches, including seven as a starter.
Cowell became the first U.S. National Team player to suit up Chivas, which has 3.5 million followers on Instagram.
“I’ve lived in the United States my whole life and been in an American culture,” he said in an interview with The Atlantic. “It’s pretty special to finally get over here and see what it’s like to be in a difference culture, especially the culture I’m going to. It’s all new to me, it’s really cool. I’m so excited.”
A Homegrown Player, Cowell signed a first-team contract with San Jose Earthquakes in January of 2019.
The Quakes Academy product collected 10 goals and 15 assists in 104 appearances.
Cowell set numerous age-specific Earthquakes records during his tenure, including youngest player to make his MLS debut (16 years, 150 days), youngest player to make an MLS start (16 years, 325 days), and youngest player to score an MLS goal (16 years, 325 days).
He made MLS history in 2021 by becoming the youngest player selected to the All-Star Team. He was one of two players chosen by Commissioner Don Garber.
He became the youngest player in MLS history to make 100 league appearances and was selected to the MLS 22 Under 22 list for the third consecutive year (2021-23) this past season.
Cowell joined the Quakes Academy from local club Ballistic United after the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season, when he led the nation with 34 goals in 32 appearances at the Under-15 level.
Nearly seven months later, Cowell ascended to the professional ranks, becoming the youngest first-team player in Earthquakes and Bay Area team sports history (15 years, 102 days), as well as the fourth-youngest signing ever in MLS history at the time.
Cowell has earned eight caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team, making his debut in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in December of 2021. He represented the U.S. in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he made five appearances and scored his first goal at the senior international level in a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
He has also represented the U.S. at the U-16, U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels. He played with the U.S. U-20 National Team in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, leading the squad with three goals and helping Team USA reach the quarterfinals.
Cowell exited the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team January training camp to begin his pro career with Chivas.
He holds dual US-Mexican citizenship.
Cowell’s journey to the professional ranks had some bumps in the road.
He was slowed by Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, a knee ailment, when he was a kid.
Cowell was sidelined for a month and a half after suffering a stress fracture in his back while playing flag football in the eighth grade at Cesar Chavez Jr. High.
He also didn’t receive invites to a pair of U.S. Youth National Team training camps.
Cowell was planning to attend Central Catholic High School in Modesto prior to joining the San Jose Earthquakes in-house youth development program in 2018.
“We had already filled out the paperwork and paid the fees,” Debin Cowell said. “He was enrolled. God had other plans for him.”
