Galaxy midfielder Efrain Alvarez moves to Club Tijuana in Liga MX

Efrain Alvarez was once dubbed the “best talent in Major League Soccer” by then-teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“I could tell you, every player that we’ve had through here, sees that same thing with Efra,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said.

In flashes, he was able to show just why, but consistency was his biggest issue.

On Friday, the Galaxy officially announced the 21-year-old midfielder and East L.A. native had been transferred to Club Tijuana in Mexico’s Liga MX.

“It sort of picked up maybe two and a half, three weeks ago,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said of the interest between Tijuana and the Galaxy. “Club expressed interest. Also from Efra’s side, agent started to look at potential options for him.

“For us, internally, we’ve always with all of our young players talked about what is their best use, value and trajectory with us, how are they going to play into our future. Efra is a young player, even though it seems like he’s been around for a long time, who still has to build a career and where is he going to play, grow and be successful. Is that here or somewhere else?”

The Galaxy will reportedly get $2.2 million for the move. Alvarez’s contract was up after this season. The club had a one-year option that was set to increase his salary.

According to the salary guide released by the MLS Players Association, Alvarez had a base salary of $660,000 this year, with guaranteed compensation total of $766,500.

“This season is going to be winding down over the next few months and then it’s also what are contracts going to look like beyond this year. What are your options as a club because we’re always managing salary cap,” Vanney said. “And Efra is no longer just a Homegrown (player) in our salary cap, he’s a much bigger player inside of that. So you have take all things into consideration, both from our perspective but also hoping that a player like this can find his highest level and highest value.”

Alvarez was coming off career highs in minutes (1,385), goals (three) and assists (six) last season, but this season had made just 10 league appearances, playing just 377 minutes.

Alvarez signed with Galaxy II as a 15-year-old in 2017, at the time making him the youngest signing in USL Championship history. He made his first-team debut in 2019.

In 2021, Alvarez signed a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2024.

“I think he’s a player who fits in Liga MX even better than MLS,” Vanney said. “I think MLS is a higher transition league, where the game opens up, it gets fast. There’s a lot more space to cover at times because of the transitions and I think our league is more athletic in general. Where I feel like in Mexico, the game is still a little bit more methodical, less turnovers, little bit more possession, and I think that suits him. I still think there are things individually he’s going to have to do to be impactful.

“This is a good opportunity for Efra, it makes sense for the club and we wish him nothing but success. He’s family for us.”