TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Real Salt Lake have signed forward Sergio Cordova on loan from German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for the 2022 MLS season, the club announced Thursday.
Cordova’s signing marks the first player arrival to RSL under new owners David Blitzer and Ryan Smith since their acquisition of the Utah-based club this past January.
“Bringing Cordova to Salt Lake was amongst our top priorities when we began discussing potential options for 2022,” general manager Elliot Fall said in a release. “We’ve seen him excel with Venezuela, both as a youth and senior national team member, and during his Bundesliga ascension as well.
“Cordova provides additional versatility to our attack, service from the wings, the ability to go at opponents and lethal finishing. He immediately makes us deeper with his quality, providing intensity, incisiveness and intelligence.”
Cordova, 24, has scored seven goals in 75 appearances for Augsburg since joining prior to the 2017 season. He began his professional career in his native Venezuela for Caracas FC, and was recently loaned to fellow German Bundesliga squad Arminia Bielefeld, scoring twice in 23 appearances.
Cordova has featured in 15 matches for Venezuela's national team, including Copa America and World Cup qualifying appearances.
“My arrival to RSL has been very nice, everything is well-organized. We have everything to bring out the best version of us, to get in form for the best performances of your career,” Cordova said in a release.
“I think the club is very good, the style of play, with a good group of guys. From day one I could see this group is a family by the way my teammates received me. I don’t want to talk too much about it, because as they say, ‘Those who talk a lot, do little,’ but I want to compete with my teammates, fight for the badge and make big achievements here in the MLS. I think anything is possible when you see the group of guys we have and their capacity. We know we can get very far this season.”
RSL, entering their first full season under head coach Pablo Mastroeni, made the Western Conference Final in 2021.
Augsburg is the same club that US men’s national team forward Ricardo Pepi joined this winter from FC Dallas in a club-record move.
