SAN DIEGO – The Chula Vista native, Paul Arriola, under contract at the Mexican club Tijuana Xolos has continued the great form he showed during the U
SAN DIEGO – The Chula Vista native, Paul Arriola, under contract at the Mexican club Tijuana Xolos has continued the great form he showed during the U-20 World Cup in June.
On Saturday, when Tijuana faced Cruz Azul, Arriola came off the bench at halftime and scored a goal 3 minutes into the second half, which was his first goal in Liga MX in almost 2 years. The game ended 3-1 with a win for Tijuana.
The goal was the result of a great passing sequence from Tijuana, leaving Arriola open to take a shot which hit crossbar and went in. The Xolos started the game and went down 1-0 from a PK for Cruz Azul in the 6th minute of the game, but were able to recover and turn the game around to win it by 3-1. Arriola hadn’t scored in Liga MX since August 18th of 2013, but scored this season during a Copa MX game against Zacatepec on July 28th.
The 20-year old forward has been carrying over a run of good form this year, and this goal was probably the most memorable moment for him this summer. During the U-20 World Cup, Arriola was one of the U.S. stars who helped the team reach the quarterfinals of the tournament in New Zealand.
Arriola was born and raised in the Chula Vista region of San Diego, attended Mater Dei Catholic High School, played as a youth for Arsenal FC in Temecula before joining the LA Galaxy Academy in 2013. He started to train with the Xolos in December of 2012 and at the conclusion of that season he signed a contract with the Mexican team, despite being offered a professional contract with the Galaxy as well.
[quote_box_center]“I felt that Xolos was the place for me. I love the club, it’s my home team and the people down there are wonderful.” [/quote_box_center]
