ATLANTA —Atlanta United today announced it has signed Mexican defender Juan José Purata on loan from Tigres UANL for the remainder of the 2022 season with an option to extend the loan for 2023 and a purchase option. Purata will occupy an international roster pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa and will be available for selection when the MLS secondary transfer window opens on July 7.
“Juan is a talented center back with an extremely high ceiling,” Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “Given our current situation, we felt the need to bring in another central defender. An opportunity arose to acquire him on loan, and we’re pleased to be able to bring him into the group. Once integrated and registered, we’re looking forward to having him compete immediately.”
The 24-year-old has spent his entire professional career with Tigres UANL, one of the top clubs in Liga MX. He joined the Tigres academy in 2015 and worked his way up the ranks before making the jump into the first team in 2017. He’s made 34 appearances in his career, including 26 in Liga MX play, and was part of the Tigres squad that won the 2018 Campeones Cup, 2019 Liga MX Clausura and the 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
The San Luis Potosi, Mexico native made his professional debut on Aug. 31, 2017 when he played 90 minutes in a Copa MX match against Cruz Azul. His Liga MX debut came on Sept. 24, 2018 when he played against Monterrey. That season he made 10 appearances across all competitions. His first professional goal came in the 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League when he scored against Alianza FC in the Round of 16 opening leg.
Player Profile
Name: Juan José Purata
Position: Defender*
Height: 6-2
Birthdate: January 9, 1998 (24)Birthplace:* San Luis Potosi, Mexico**
Nationality: Mexico
Transaction:** Atlanta United signs defender Juan José Purata on loan through the end of the 2022 season with an option to extend the loan for 2023 and a purchase option.
2022 Atlanta United roster (as of June 21, 2022)
Goalkeepers (6): Dylan Castanheira+, Justin Garces*, Raúl Gudiño, Brad Guzan+, Rocco Ríos Novo^^, Bobby Shuttleworth
Defenders (13): Mikey Ambrose, George Campbell, Alex De John, Alan Franco, Andrew Gutman, Ronald Hernández, Brooks Lennon, Aiden McFadden^^^^, Efrain Morales*, Juan José Purata^^^, Miles Robinson, Bryce Washington, Caleb Wiley
Midfielders (11): Thiago Almada, Osvaldo Alonso+, Ezequiel Barco**, Erik Centeno, Emerson Hyndman, Franco Ibarra, Marcelino Moreno, Matheus Rossetto, Amar Sejdic, Santiago Sosa, Tyler Wolff
Forwards (7): Luiz Araújo, Machop Chol, Ronaldo Cisneros^, Jackson Conway, Dom Dwyer, Erik López*, Josef Martínez
*-On loan to Atlanta United 2
**-On loan to Club Atlético River Plate
*-On loan to Club Atlético Banfield
^-On loan from Chivas Guadalajara
^^ On loan from Club Atlético Lanús
^^^ On loan from Tigres UANL
^^^^On Short Term Agreement
+- On Season-Ending Injury List
