TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Roughnecks FC announced on Monday the team had signed former Chelsea FC signee Jhon Pírez for the 2018 USL season, pending league and federation approval. The 24-year-old forward comes to the Roughnecks from the Uruguay Premier Division where he most recently spent time with Defensor Sporting.

“Jhon is a very technical striker who does a lot of things very well,” said Roughnecks Head Coach David Vaudreuil. “His size, speed, and skill on the ball and in the box give us a classic No. 9 who we expect to be the focal point of our attack. We are very excited to welcome Jhon to Tulsa and look forward to seeing him integrate into our squad.”

The 6-foot-2 Pírez came up through the Defensor Sporting youth system before drawing interest from English Premier League club Chelsea. He was officially signed by the Blues upon turning 18 years old and was under contract for four years, spending most of the time on loan with other clubs.