Major League Soccer’s Western Conference LAFC has signed Veteran Honduran right back Andy Najar, who has been training with the MLS team since February, whilst undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury, and is expected to be ready to play at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando in July.
“The dream came true, I went there [to Belgium], I played for seven years, and now I’m back to MLS, I’m really excited,” Najar told reporters at the LAFC training grounds. “Now they have more great players and I think the competition is getting better every year,” he added. “It’s growing and I hope it continues like that and in the future we can be one of the top leagues in the world.”
The 27 year-old came with his family from Hondurans when he was thirteen, and settled in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Najar went to high school in Alexandria, Virginia and joined the D.C. United youth academy in 2008 where he played until 2010 and received numerous awards.
In 2010 Najar started his senior soccer career and what appeared to be an obvious move to his home club: MLS Eastern Conference’s D.C. United. He was named in 2010 the MLS Rookie of the Year. Between 2010 and 2013 he registered 83 appearances and scored 10 goals for D.C. United, before moving in 2013 to play in Belgium’s top soccer division with Anderlecht.
Between 2013 and 2020 Najar had 14 goals and 16 assists in 164 matches for Anderlecht, including 7 Champions League and 20 Europa League appearances. But he has been battling injuries in recent years and since 2016 appeared in only 28 league games. Being a Honduras national, he also played 36 games and scored 4 goals for the Honduras national team in the past decade.
As soon as Walker Zimmerman was traded to MLS expansion team Nashville SC, LAFC’s Coach Bob Bradley had to find a replacement for the center of his defense, and moved Tristan Blackmon to the middle of the back field. This gave Najar the opportunity to slot comfortably into the right back where he’s comfortable and experienced.
The LAFC have become a driving force in Major League Soccer since its 2018 inaugural season and finished in first place in the MLS Western Conference in 2019 while breaking all-time league point record and winning the Supporters’ Shield.
Andy Najar will join a star-studded team including all-time MLS scorer and 2019 Carlos Vela. The MLS is Back Tournament that is planned in July will have LACFC meet LA Galaxy in the Group Stages, in a bitter rivalry across the two sides of Los Angeles known by locals as El Trafico.
