FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Current Nova Southeastern men's soccer player Inaki Dominguez is currently on trial for the Mexican football club, Cruz Azul. The club is part of the top division in Mexico, Liga MX.
 
At this time, the team is training in Queretaro, a city two hours away from Mexico City and will compete in three preseason games against Queretaro, San Luis and Celaya within the next week. After that, the team will travel to the US to compete against two more Mexican teams, Taluca and Monterrey, in Houston and Dallas. Preseason will wrap up with a game against F.C. Porto, a team from Portugal.
 
"This experience means a lot to me, as it has been a goal I've been working really hard for the last two years," explained Dominguez. "Although I really enjoyed this past year at NSU, where I got to meet people from all over the world and today I can proudly call them my friends, I'm really happy to be back in Cruz Azul. It's like being back home because I grew up here, as a person and as a soccer player. I will give my all to stay here, because as I told Coach Watts a year ago before going to NSU, my dream is to be a professional soccer player, and I will fight for it!"
 
Dominguez was a member of the Cruz Azul program from 2010-15, when he played from age 13 to 21 in the different youth teams the club had to offer. During that time, Dominguez played in 154 games for the various teams.
 
One of two Sharks to start in all 15 games in 2016, Dominguez proved to be a leader on the pitch as he played all 90 minutes or more in all but two games. 

"With Inaki anticipating to leave earlier than expected and so late in the summer it certainly was an initial blow to our preparations, but you cannot selfishly hold these guys back," admitted head soccer coach Matt Watts. "I want our athletes to move on to the professional ranks and play at the next level. This has been a dream of Inaki's for a long time and Cruz Azul is the club he has supported since he was a boy. I believe this is another sign that this soccer program is moving in the right direction and I expect more guys from this program to do the same in the future. I am incredibly proud of Inaki and I wish him the very best. He has represented NSU soccer very well."
 
Pending his addition to the roster, which will be determined within the next two weeks, Dominguez will become the first Shark men's soccer player to sign with a professional team since Aly Hassan in 2012.
 
 
More About Cruz Azul
 
Cruz Azul is a Mexican football club that plays in the top division in Mexico, Liga MX. Their home stadium is called Estadio Azul, located in the southwestern part of Mexico City in the Colonia Ciudad de los Deportes, and seats 33,000. Cruz Azul has won the league title eight times, the second most successful club in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League. Cruz Azul was also the first CONCACAF team to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South American football.