FRISCO, TEXAS (Tuesday, Feb. 7) – FC Dallas has signed Argentine right back Hernán Grana on loan from Club Atlético All Boys, for the 2017 season, as well as Venezuelan midfielder Carlos Cermeño, pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC.
FC Dallas has the option to buy Grana’s contract and make the transfer permanent at the end of the 2017 season. The duo will join FC Dallas at its preseason site in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Grana has played 11 seasons and over 200 matches in the Argentine first division since joining Lanús as a 23-year-old in 2008. The defender excelled during a seven-game stint in Major League Soccer with the Columbus Crew in 2015 before returning home due to homesickness.
“We feel that Hernán will feel very much at home here in Dallas,” said FC Dallas Technical Director Fernando Clavijo. “He will be the sixth Argentine in our locker room, along with several other South Americans and Spanish-speakers. He is now in an ideal position to excel on and off the pitch.”
"He's a #8 up and down box to box lefty midfielder who's young but has experience in Copa Libertadores..." pic.twitter.com/xeniUvhzMU
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) February 7, 2017
In addition to Lanús, Grana spent time with Argentine first division teams: Quilmes, Belgrano, All Boys, Boca Juniors and Ferro Carril Oleste. Since returning from MLS, Grana has appeared in 39 matches for All Boys and Ferro Carril Oleste.
Cermeño, 21, began his career with Monagas in the Venezuelan first division in 2011. He played four matches before transferring to fellow Venezuelan first division club, Deportivo Táchira in 2013. Cermeño found the back of the net five times in 95 appearances for Táchira in the past four years.
Cermeño earned one cap for the Venezuelan National Team, playing nine minutes in a 2-2 draw against Peru on March 24, 2016.
Name: Hernán Grana
Position: Defender
DOB: April 12, 1985 (31)
Birthplace: Quilmes, Argentina
Hometown: Quilmes, Argentina
Height: 5-7
Weight: 152
Nationality: Argentina
Pronunciation: HER-non GRAH-nuh
Transaction: FC Dallas signs defender Hernán Grana.
Name: Carlos Cermeño
Position: Midfielder
DOB: Aug. 8, 1995 (21)
Birthplace: Maturín, Venezuela
Hometown: Maturín, Venezuela
Height: 5-7
Weight: 143
Nationality: Venezuela
Transaction: FC Dallas signs midfielder Carlos Cermeño.