Chicago Fire add former LA Galaxy midfielder Juninho on one-year loan

The Chicago Fire signedmidfielder Juninho on a one-year loan from Tijuana on Friday, with an option to purchase the former LA Galaxy star on a permanent basis after next season.

Juninho, 27, helped the Galaxy win three MLS Cup titles in six seasons with the Galaxy.

The Fire acquired his MLS rights after moving up in the league's allocation order by giving their second-round pick in the 2016 SuperDraft and general allocation money to Minnesota United.

"Juninho is a champion, a complete player and a beautiful person," Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez said in a statement. "He excels in all facets of the game and fully understands the commitment it takes to lift trophies. We're thrilled that Juninho will wear red in his return to MLS."

Chicago finished with an MLS-worst 31 points last season, but the signing of Juninho comes in the same week thatthe Fire signed strikerNemanja Nikolic as a designated player.

"Going into this offseason, we set our intentions on identifying game-changing players with championship experience along the spine of our line-up," Rodriguez said. "Including the signing of Nemanja Nikolic, we've acquired two players whom attracted significant interest from other clubs worldwide."

Earlier on Friday,Tijuana also loaned United States international defender Greg Garza to Atlanta United for the 2017 MLS season.