Ceres native Cade Cowell made his debut with Chivas on Sunday.
The 20-year-old winger entered the Liga MX game versus the Tigres in the 62nd minute.
Cowell made history by becoming the first U.S. National Team player to suit up for Chivas.
He nearly scored a goal and collected an assist during the second half of Sunday’s 1-0 road loss at Estadio Universitario.
Cowell wore jersey No. 16.
“I am very thankful to be in this position and to be able to play for a club with such great history,” Cowell stated in an Instagram post leading up to his first game with Chivas. “I want to thank the Lord above for this new chapter and opportunity.”
Fans of Chivas, one of Mexico’s most successful and popular men’s professional soccer clubs, camped out to catch a glimpse of Cowell prior to his arrival in Guadalajara.
Chivas acquired Cowell from the San Jose Earthquakes. The Major League Soccer (MLS) team announced his transfer for a club-record fee of $4-plus million on Jan. 15.
Cowell flew from California to Mexico on Jan. 12 to begin the next chapter of his pro career.
“My time here so far has been amazing and I cannot wait to put the jersey on and fight as hard as possible for the club and for the fans,” he said. “I will see all of you soon and am super excited to write my next chapter and make new memories with this special place. I will give my all in these colors.”
Cowell signed autographs while attending Chivas’ season-opening game on Jan. 13.
“Things will be more challenging here,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to the competition and getting better as a player. This club will give me the resources to do that.”
A Homegrown Player, Cowell signed a first-team contract with San Jose at the age of 15 in January of 2019.
In five MLS seasons, the Quakes Academy product collected 10 goals and 15 assists in 104 appearances.
“I came to San jose as a 15 year old kid with a dream,” Cowell stated in an Instagram post on Jan. 18. “From day one, the organization and the fans embraced me and treated me as one of their own. I was so fortunate to be able to live my dream so close to home and come at a time when true club legends were there to show me the right way to do things. I want to give a special thanks to a few men. Wondo, your leadership and friendship mean a ton to me and I can’t thank you enough for the support along the way. Shea, thank you for also being a great mentor and showing me how to be both a professional, as well as a man of God before anything else. Matias, thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow as a player.
“To my family, thank you for always being there and showing up to every game in full force, I love you all. To my brother, keep working and I know you’ll do great things for this club very soon. To the organization, to the staff, and to the fans, thank you for supporting me. I definitely felt the love every Saturday. To my brothers on the field, i will miss you all and will always root for you throughout your careers. The memories we made together will always be cherished. I will always call San Jose home and it will always have a special place in my heart. It definitely hurts to say goodbye, but it’s time for me to fly.”
Earthquakes Communications contributed to this report.
