Source: Juan Arango will sign with New York Cosmos

For a second straight offseason, the New York Cosmos have made a prominent signing, a league source telling Metro New Yorkthat the team is lining up a major offseason acquisition.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the league source said Venezuelan international Juan Arango, a creative midfielder, will shortly sign a deal with the team. One of the best players in South America over the past decade, Arango was most recently on the books with Tijuana in Mexico’s top division but also enjoyed great success earlier in his star-studded career with prominent German side Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Arango is expected to fly-in this Thursday to finalize the deal.

He boasts a wealth of experience on the club level and currently has 127 appearances with his national team.

The move for Arango comes after a season where the Cosmos won the NASL’s Soccer Bowl for the second time in three years. But they saw forward Raul and midfielder Marcos Senna both retire following their championship run. Both players brought not only an immense amount of name recognition to the club but also skill sets that were very unique to the league.

Arango, set to turn 36-years-old this May, helps in both categories.

The source said that Arango will be joining the team as soon as his international paperwork clears and he is able to obtain a work visa.

The Cosmos open their season April3 in a Soccer Bowl rematch against the Ottawa Fury.