Francisco Palencia
|
Francisco Palencia Francisco Palencia | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Francisco Palencia Hernández | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) |
Forward Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chivas USA | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 June, 2006 | |||
Juan Francisco Palencia Hernández (born April 28, 1973 in Mexico City) is a Mexican soccer player, specializing as both a midfielder and striker, currently playing for C.D. Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.
Known for his explosive speed, ball control fast counter attacks, and trademark long hair, Palencia made his international debut for the Mexican national soccer team in 1996 against Bolivia at the U.S. Cup tournament, scoring the winning goal.
Palencia played in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, taking his side to the quarterfinals where they defeated Italy. He was member of the national team who played in the 1996, 1998 and 2003 Gold Cup tournaments and the 1999 Confederations Cup tournament, where he helped Mexico win all four competitions. Palencia also played in the 1998 and
s, but could only help his team reach the 2nd round before being eliminated.
A veteran of 362 career games at club level with 117 goals to his name, 75 international caps for his country and 10 international goals. He is regarded as one of the best and exciting players in Mexico. "Paco" was trained under the Cruz Azul youth system at the age of 13 and made his debut in the Primera División de México in 1994 at the age of 21 and played seven seasons, captained and scored 91 goals for Mexican giants Cruz Azul, leading them to two championship titles in the CONCACAF Tournaments of 1996 and 1997, one championship title in the Mexican League Division in 1997, and second place in the Copa Libertadores of 2001.
After finishing second place to Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores, Palencia departed from Cruz Azul at the end of the 2000-2001 season and went to Spain to play for RCD Espanyol in La Liga, were he played 30 matches and scored 6 goals. "Paco" then returned to Mexico in 2003-04 to play for Chivas de Guadalajara.
Palencia was originally slated to join Chivas USA for the start of their inaugural season, but he enjoyed so much success with their parent club that his arrival to the U.S. team was delayed until August 2005. In his American debut, he promptly displayed his fine form and scored three goals.
He is currently the highest paid player in the M.L.S., earning around $1.4 million a year. In 2006, the veteran striker along with team mate Cuauhtémoc Blanco, both missed out on selection in Mexico's 23 man squad for the 2006 World Cup.
Club history
- 1994 - 2003 Cruz Azul
- 2001 - 2002 RCD Espanyol (loan)
- 2003 - 2005 Chivas de Guadalajara
- 2005 - present C.D. Chivas USA