LAFC have officially signed homegrown defender Christian Diaz to his first professional contract, the club announced Monday.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old US youth international is under contract through June 2027, with club options extending through the 2028-29 season.<\/p>\n
Diaz came up through the LAFC Academy before joining MLS NEXT Pro affiliate LAFC2 in 2023. He made eight starts in 11 appearances that year, scoring two goals. In 2024 he spent time on loan at Carolina Core FC, starting 10 of 11 games and adding another goal, before returning to LAFC2. Last season he made 24 appearances and started 21, logging 1,861 minutes.<\/p>\n
At the international level, Diaz has earned call-ups with the United States U-17 and U-20 national teams. He was part of the U-17 squad that reached the final of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship.<\/p>\n
LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington praised the young defender’s commitment to the process.
\n“His progression through our Academy and LAFC2 reflects exactly what we value as a club,” Thorrington said. “We’re excited to see him take this next step with LAFC.”<\/p>\n
Assistant general manager Jordan Harvey said Diaz’s path should serve as a model for other academy players.
\n“Christian’s journey shows what’s possible here at LAFC,” Harvey said. “Through his performance, commitment, and professionalism, he’s earned a first-team contract.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAFC have officially signed homegrown defender Christian Diaz to his first professional contract, the club announced Monday. The 19-year-old US youth international is under contract through June 2027, with club options extending through the 2028-29 season. Diaz came up through the LAFC Academy before joining MLS NEXT Pro affiliate LAFC2 in 2023. He made eight starts in 11 appearances that year, scoring two goals. In 2024 he spent time on loan at Carolina Core FC, starting 10 of 11 games and adding another goal, before returning to LAFC2. Last season he made 24 appearances and started 21, logging 1,861 minutes. At the international level, Diaz has earned call-ups with the United States U-17 and U-20 national teams. He was part of the U-17 squad that reached the final of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship. LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington praised the young defender’s commitment to the process. “His progression through our Academy and LAFC2 reflects exactly what we value as a club,” Thorrington said. “We’re excited to see him take this next step with LAFC.” Assistant general manager Jordan Harvey said Diaz’s path should serve as a model for other academy players. “Christian’s journey shows what’s possible here at LAFC,” Harvey said. “Through his performance, commitment, and professionalism, he’s earned a first-team contract.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":37088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[220,170],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-sport-football-news","category-mls"],"yoast_head":"\n