CHICAGO (Feb. 5, 2014) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Wednesday that they have acquired midfielder Benji Joya in a weighted lottery. The U.S. Youth International joins the Fire on a one-year loan with a transfer option from Liga MX side Club Santos Laguna. Joya will be added to the Fire roster pending receipt of his ITC. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Benji is a talented, young player,” said Chicago Fire Head Coach and Director of Soccer Frank Yallop. “He has international experience and will be a great addition as we continue to build and strengthen our squad.”
Joya, who joined Santos in 2012, made four LigaMX appearances and two Copa MX appearances.
A native of San Jose, Calif., Joya was a member of the De Anza Force of the USSF Development Academy.
The young midfielder served as team captain during the semifinal and final run of the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where the U.S. finished second in the region and qualified for the 2014 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Joya started both matches in which he appeared in the tournament.
<img alt="" src="//www.chicago-fire.com/sites/chicago/files/image_nodes/2014/02/Joya2%20%282%29.jpg" style="width: 140px; height: 177px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; float: left;"> |
<p><strong>Name: </strong>Héctor Benjamín Joya <br><strong>Position:</strong> Midfielder<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5’8”<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 145 lbs<br><strong>Born:</strong> Sept. 22, 1993<br><strong>Hometown:</strong> San Jose, Calif.<br><strong>Citizenship:</strong> USA<br><strong>Acquired:</strong> Acquired via weighted lottery on Feb. 5, 2014<br><strong>Last Club: </strong>Club Santos Laguna (Mexico)<br><strong>Twitter:</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/benjijoya54">@benjijoya54</a></p> |
