SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has acquired Argentine forward Andres Rios using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
“He is a great person, a great professional and someone who is extremely excited to join the group,” said Earthquakes head coach Matias Almeyda.
Rios, 29, most recently played in the Argentine Primera Division with Racing Club, helping the squad win the league championship with a 17-2-6 record.
“Our main goal was to continue to reinforce the team’s growth in the short and long term,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli. “Andres is a versatile striker with distinct attacking qualities that we were looking for. It also helps that Andres is a player that our coaching staff is very familiar with, both to successfully integrate him into the team midseason, as well as to help him gain a full understanding of how we play. He has played in many competitive leagues and will be an important addition for us as we look to finish the season strong and grow the squad competitively beyond 2019.”
Rios began his career at the youth ranks of River Plate before making his professional debut in March 2007 at 17 years old. He remained with the club for seven years and tallied five goals and three assists in 46 appearances. His lengthy stint with the Argentine powerhouse also included 12-month loans to Polish champions Wisla Krakow (2010-11) and Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador (2013).
Rios had a breakout year with Deportivo Cuenca in 2013, finishing with 21 goals and eight assists in 40 appearances, including a dozen goals and five assists in his final 18 matches alone. He was one of only three players in the league to score 20+ goals that season and one of only four players to record a hat trick.
The Argentine was then transferred to Mexico’s Club America in January 2014 for a reported $4.1 million. He scored one goal in four matches for America before being loaned to Mexico’s Leones Negros, where he made 22 appearances.
Rios signed with Argentina’s Defensa in January 2017 and tallied seven goals and an assist in 34 matches before moving to Brazil’s Vasco De Gama in the summer of 2018. Rios spent a year and a half with Vasco de Gama, tallying 10 goals and two assists in 45 league appearances. He also recorded a trio of assists in 12 matches as part of Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Rios then signed with Racing in January 2019.
Internationally, Rios scored two goals in 10 appearances for the Argentina U-20s.
Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – Earthquakes acquire Argentine F Andres Rios using Targeted Allocation Money.
Andres Rios
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Weight: 172 lbs.
Born: Aug. 1, 1989
Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Last Club: Racing Club (Argentina)
College: N/A
Roster Designation: International
