Minnesota United announce today the club has signed Paraguayan-international right-back Alan Benítez to a two and a half-year contract, plus a club option. Benítez will be available to play pending a physical and receipt of his Visa and ITC and will occupy an international spot on Minnesota’s roster.
“Alan [Benítez] is a very fit and powerful player and his biggest threat is going forward and contributing to the attack and that fits very well with the way that we play,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “That’s something we’ve lacked in consistently over the season and we believe, and this part and parcel of Alan’s game and one of this strengths and I think he will help us in that regard. When you look at his body of work with Cerro Porteño - one of the biggest clubs in Paraguay - he’s a Paraguayan international, Luis Amarilla knows him well, we watched him a lot and we felt it was a good opportunity at this time.”
Benítez joins Minnesota after two seasons with Cerro Porteño of the Paraguay First Division, where he played 35 games, including six in the 2022 Copa Libertadores and was on the squad that won the 2021 Clausura Championship. The 28-year-old fullback began his professional career in 2013 with his hometown club of Club Libertad Asunción, where he played for six seasons making appearances in Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores. In 2019, Benítez was signed by club Olympia Asunción where he played until 2021. In his nine-year career, Benítez has 11 assists and five goals in 107 game appearances. Internationally, Benítez is a member of the Paraguay National Team, along with fellow Loon Luis Amarilla. He made his senior team debut in 2017 in an international friendly against Mexico, and has five caps, including two appearances in World Cup Qualifiers.
Transaction: Minnesota United signs right-back Alan Benítez to a two and a half-year contract, plus a club option. Benítez will be available to play pending a physical and receipt of his Visa and ITC and will occupy an international spot on Minnesota’s roster.
VITALS
Alan Benítez
Position: Defender (Right-back)
Date of birth: 01.25.1994 (28 years old)
Height: 5’10”
Last club: Cerro Porteño
Birthplace: Asunción, Paraguay
Citizenship: Paraguay
