Javier “Chicharito” Hernández is ready to return to the field. The Mexican forward will be the star player for Atlético Dallas, a new club set to make its debut in the USL Championship starting in the 2027 season, according to a high-ranking source within the team.
The same source confirmed that the former player for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, LA Galaxy, and Chivas has already been signed by the club, though the source did not provide further details.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano was the first to report the signing on social media.
Atlético Dallas will join the top tier of the United Soccer League in 2027, although the sports project has been in development for more than two years since it was officially announced. As part of that process, the club already has youth teams competing in various national tournaments.
For Hernández, this will be his second stint in professional soccer in the United States, following his time with the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. It will also mark his return to professional soccer since the end of his second stint with Chivas de Guadalajara in December 2025.
The Texas-based club also confirmed Peter Luccin as head coach. The Frenchman, who played for top-tier European clubs—including Atlético Madrid—ended his playing career at FC Dallas, where he later coached various youth teams and served as interim head coach of the first team during the 2024 season.
The USL, a league independent of Major League Soccer, plans to implement a promotion-and-relegation system starting in 2028—a move that would make it the first professional soccer league in the United States to adopt that format.
