Oakland Roots announced they signed Mexican international Jürgen Damm to a contract on Wednesday.
He posted on social media that he was in the Bay Area on Saturday and teased about being at the club facility. It marks another major get for Roots’ front office as the team ramps up for the regular season.
Damm, 32, enters as a Liga MX veteran over his 14-year career with stops at Pachuca, Tigres, Club América, and Atlético San Luis, along with a two-year stint at Atlanta United. He’s had 12 total appearances with the Mexico National Team, El Tri.
He has a staggering 1.2 million more followers than Oakland Roots spread across their social media channels, becoming the highest-profile international signing in club history. Transfermarkt gives him a value of €350,000, which is the highest on Roots’ roster.
Damm brings another player with a background of winning titles. With Tigres, he was a three-time Mexican Champion Apertura winner, twice won the Mexican Campeón de Campeones, won the Mexican Clausura championship, and claimed the Campeones Cup.
Another statement addition by Roots, showing the club’s intention to compete for the top in 2025.
So what are Roots getting in Damm?
Damm most recently played at Atlético San Luis, finishing his contract in January. He’s someone who can fit into multiple roles in Glinton’s system, bringing a versatile background as a right-sided winger, midfielder, and fullback.
His standout quality during his time with Tigres from 2015-2020 was his speed, scoring seven goals and 14 assists in 5,583 minutes at the club. Now over 30 years old, it’s difficult to expect the same burst of speed from his mid-20s, but his chance creation and playmaking ability can become a marquee asset in the USL Championship.
He made 21 appearances in the 2023/2024 Apertura season for 456 minutes. Despite his limited time, he ranked in the top 5.2 percent of players by averaging 0.59 assists per match and generating 2.17 scoring chances per game, per FotMob. Defensively, he won 1.78 tackles per match with a success rate of 81.8 percent.
The most playing time he’s gotten over the last five years was with Atlanta United in 2020, logging 633 minutes. He similarly averaged 0.43 assists per game, ranking in the top 5.3 percent. His 2.41 successful dribbles per match were in the top 23 percent of players at his position.
For his career, Damm has appeared in 218 professional matches with 116 starts, logging 11,204 minutes for 11 goals and 27 assists. He also has 12 appearances with the Mexico National Team with five starts, scoring once.