Philadelphia Union Sign Mexican National Team Midfielder Marco Fabián
29-year-old attacking midfielder joins Union as Designated Player;
Two-time FIFA World Cup participant, Olympic gold medalist transfers to Philadelphia from German topflight side Eintracht Frankfurt
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CHESTER, Pa. (February 8, 2019) – Philadelphia Union announced today that the club has agreed to a deal with German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt for the transfer of two-time FIFA World Cup and Mexico National Team midfielder Marco Fabián (pronounced: Fah-bee-AHN). Fabián will be added to the Union’s active roster following receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa and will occupy an international roster slot as a Designated Player.
Fabián is a decorated player for both club and country. In Liga MX, he won the 2013-14 Concacaf Champions League with Cruz Azul as well as the 2015 Apertura Copa MX with Guadalajara. After transferring to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, he helped the side win the 2017-18 German Cup, beating Bayern Munich in the final. With the Mexican National Team, he captured the 2012 Olympic gold medal in London, and has appeared in both the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
PLAYER BIO: Marco Fabián
Playing for the past three calendar years in the Bundesliga, Fabián originally joined Frankfurt midway through the 2015-16 season, where he notched an assist in his debut against VfL Wolfsburg on January 24, 2016. He totaled seven goals and four assists in his first full campaign, in 2016-17. Last season, Fabián helped Frankfurt capture a major trophy with the German Cup victory, making appearances in both the quarterfinals and the semifinals.
Prior to moving to Germany, Fabián played for eight years in his native Mexico, coming up through the academy system of Chivas Guadalajara and debuting for the club’s first team in late 2007. Across all competitions, he made a total of 232 appearances for the club, scoring 57 goals while adding 36 assists.
Highlights of Fabián’s tenure with Guadalajara include scoring in the final of the 2010 Copa Libertadores vs. Brazilian club Internacional, scoring seven goals across a six-match span in the 2010-11 Liga MX Clausura, and recording a hat trick against Estudiantes in the 2011-12 Liga MX Apertura. He also notched a hat trick in the 2012-13 Concacaf Champions League against W Connection.
After the 2013-14 Liga MX Apertura, he joined fellow Mexican side Cruz Azul on a loan deal. He scored five goals in that season’s Clausura for the team, and also helped them win the 2013-14 Concacaf Champions League. Fabián was a key player in that tournament, starting both legs of the final. He recorded the championship-winning assist on Mariano Pavone’s away goal that clinched the tournament.
Internationally, Fabián has been a mainstay in the Mexican National Team, totaling 42 senior caps to date. He made his debut in early 2012 in a friendly against Venezuela, where he totaled two assists. His major tournament debut came in the 2013 Gold Cup, where he played every match for El Tri.
Fabián was named to the Mexican side for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he appeared in each of the team’s group stage contests against Cameroon, Brazil and Croatia. He was also a part of the Mexican side for the 2017 Confederations Cup and once again at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he made one appearance, in the group stage against Sweden.
With the Mexican Under-23s, Fabián captured the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament title, scoring the game-tying goal in the final and tying for the tournament lead with five goals. He then helped Mexico win the Toulon Tournament in preparation for the Olympics in London, which he also won, securing the gold medal with a victory over Brazil at Wembley Stadium.
TRANSACTION: Philadelphia Union sign midfielder Marco Fabián on February 8, 2019. He will be added to the active roster following receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa and will occupy an international roster slot as a Designated Player.
Name: Marco Fabián (pronounced: Fah-bee-AHN)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 143
Born: July 21, 1989, in Guadalajara, Mexico
Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico
Citizenship: Mexico
Acquired: Philadelphia Union sign midfielder Marco Fabián on February 8, 2019
Previous Experience: Eintracht Frankfurt (2016-2019), Guadalajara (2007-2015), Cruz Azul (2014)
