(PHOENIX, AZ) February 9, 2017 – Today Phoenix Rising Football Club announced it signed C.D. Chivas Guadalajara and Mexican National Team soccer legend Omar Bravo. Bravo’s 132 goals with Chivas, makes him the all-time leading scorer in the club’s history. Bravo also made 65 appearances for the Mexican National Team, tallying 15 goals.

“Our ownership group promised to build a championship-caliber team,” said Phoenix Rising FC governor Berke Bakay. “A player as experienced as Omar Bravo, with his over 300 appearances for one of Mexico’s most storied clubs and the national team, will help solidify an already strong lineup assembled by our celebrated head coach Frank Yallop. Please help us give Bravo a warm, Arizona welcome.”

"I am attracted to the energy and excitement surrounding this organization and committed to helping the team succeed,” Bravo said. “I also want to help inspire the thousands of youth soccer players in Arizona and ignite their passion for our beautiful game."

Bravo began his professional career with Chivas in February of 2001 after coming up through the club’s youth system. From 2001-2008, Bravo appeared in 258 matches and scored 101 goals for the Liga MX club. Then, he was transferred to Spanish La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna. After time with Deportivo and a loan with Liga MX side Tigres UANL, Bravo returned to Chivas, appearing in 32 additional matches and scoring five goals.

Bravo then made his way to the United States to play with Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. In his lone season with the team, he scored nine goals and was named the 2011 Latin Player of the Year. He returned to Mexico in 2012 and spent some time with Cruz Azul and Atlas before returning to Chivas. He became the club’s all-time leading scorer on August 12, 2015, when he scored goal number 123 to put him ahead of the club’s previous leader, Salvador Reyes.

As an international star with the Mexican National Team, Bravo helped win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2003 and 2009 while also reaching the finals in 2007. He was also on the 2006 World Cup team for Mexico and scored two goals during the group stages.

Last season, Bravo played with North American Soccer League side Carolina Railhawks. In 14 appearances he scored four goals and tallied an assist.

The club has also announced that season tickets and corporate suites are on sale to the public. Fans who become season ticket members will receive a free Phoenix Rising FC jersey in addition to various other benefits throughout the season. For more information on season ticket packages, benefits and corporate suites, visit www.PHXRisingFC.com

Phoenix Rising Football Club players under contract for 2017 include:

GOALKEEPERS: Carl Woszczynski, Josh Cohen

DEFENDERS: Peter Ramage, Uchenna Uzo, J.J. Greer, Brock Granger, Victor Vasquez

MIDFIELDERS: Blair Gavin, Miguel Timm, Luke Rooney, A.J. Gray

FORWARDS: Moses Danto, Jason Johnson, Chris Cortez, Mike Seth, Matthew Hurlow-Paonessa, Omar Bravo

About Phoenix Rising FC

Phoenix Rising FC is the highest level professional soccer franchise in Arizona’s history. Established in 2013, the club enters its fourth year in the United Soccer League, which has been awarded Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Major League Soccer (MLS) recently announced Phoenix Rising FC as among 12 applicants being considered for PHXRisingFC), Twitter (@PHXRisingFC), Instagram (@PHXRisingFC), Snapchat (PHXRisingFC) and YouTube (PhoenixRisingFootballClub). For season tickets call (623) 594-9606 or visit PHXRisingFC.com. a MLS Expansion Franchise. Beginning in March of 2017, Phoenix Rising FC will be playing in its new, soccer-specific stadium located at the northwest corner of the 101 and 202 freeways in south Scottsdale. For more information on the club, visit the team's website at PhxRisingFC.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook (

About United Soccer League

The United Soccer League is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world with teams in 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Since 2014, the USL has doubled in size and established a sizeable North American footprint with strong ownership, experienced executives and regional rivalries.

In 2016, the USL experienced record growth with a total season attendance of almost 1.5 million, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The average attendance for the league’s top-10 drawing teams was 6,724, a 25 percent increase year-over-year.

Creating an engaging environment for passionate fans, the USL aims to establish all clubs as owners or primary tenants of 8,000-10,000 seat soccer-specific stadiums by 2020. Teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium infrastructure in the last year to enhance the experience for the USL’s passionate fans, 900-plus players and nearly 100 coaches in building a highly sophisticated league.

Expanding its broadcast reach with ESPN and SiriusXM partnerships, USL “Games of the Week” were available this year on ESPN3 to 99 million households. The USL aired more than 500 games last season through its Match Center. Recently, the USL finalized a $10 million investment and partnership with VISTA Worldlink to create USL Productions, which will create more than 1,000 hours of live match coverage for 2017. Additionally, statistical analysis will be powered by Opta – the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data – who will manage and deliver in-depth details for all USL games.

Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL supports its teams with operational excellence through 50-plus employees and 16 departments including Analytics, Competition, Creative, Digital, League Operations, Marketing, Merchandise/Licensing, Team Services, USL Productions and more.

Follow the USL at USLSoccer.com, on USL Match Center, and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.