Cade Cowell and Chivas Guadalajara have a lot of expectations heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
The Ceres native is embarking on his third season with the Liga MX professional soccer club.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s preseason or league,” the 21-year-old forward said during an interview posted on the Chivas YouTube page this past month. “It’s all about winning everything and it’s very important for us.”
Cowell enjoyed a memorable start to the season.
He scored his first goal—a header—in his second game.
Cowell helped lead Chivas to a 4-3 win over San Luis at the 2025 Apertura Tournament on July 26.
“My personal goal for this tournament is just to help Chivas,” he said. “I want to help with goals, assists, minutes—everything.”
“I have a lot of confidence,” Cowell added. “I feel very good.”
Cowell and Chivas will compete under the guidance of first-year leader Gabriel Milito.
The former Argentina National Team member suited up for Barcelona, Zaragoza and Independiente during his playing career.
“Gaby is a very good coach,” Cowell said. “I like him a lot. And he loves working hard.”
Cowell showed improvement during his second year with Chivas in 2024-25.
He totaled five goals and two assists in 20 appearances.
He earned Liga MX Player of the Month honors for July.
“I wouldn’t say I’m different,” Cowell said. “But maybe more comfortable with the guys and living in a new country.”
“My fitness has gotten a lot better. The elevation in Mexico is very high so it was difficult to breathe and playing with a lot of confidence that always helps.”
Chivas acquired Cowell from the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS in January of 2024.
The Earthquakes received a club-record fee of $4-plus million from the Liga MX club.
Cowell became the first U.S. National team player to suit up for Chivas, which has 3.6 million followers on Instagram.
He totaled four goals and two assists during his first season, including three in Concacaf Champions Cup play.
“There are always pros and cons with such a humongous fan base,” Cowell said in an interview with The Athletic in January of 2024. “If you do well, you’re their Cristiano Ronaldo. If you do bad, they want to throw rocks at you. I think it’s really good. For me, the only thing I can control is how hard I work every day. When I’m on the field, I give my 100 percent. I think they’ll see that and respect that.”
Cowell played professional soccer in the Bay Area for five seasons (2019-23).
A homegrown player, Cowell signed a first-team contract with San Jose in January of 2019.
The Quakes Academy product collected 10 goals and 15 assists in 104 appearances.
Cowell set numerous age-specific Earthquakes records during his tenure, including youngest player to make his MLS debut (16 years, 150 days), youngest player to make an MLS start (16 years, 325 days), and youngest player to score an MLS goal (16 years, 325 days).
Cowell made MLS history in 2021 by becoming the youngest player selected to the All-Star Team. He was one of two players chosen by Commissioner Don Garber.
He became the youngest player in MLS history to make 100 league appearances and was selected to the MLS 22 Under 22 list for the third consecutive year (2021-23) this past season.
Cowell joined the Quakes Academy from local club Ballistic United after the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season, when he led the nation with 34 goals in 32 appearances at the Under-15 level.
Nearly seven months later, Cowell ascended to the professional ranks, becoming the youngest first-team player in Earthquakes and Bay Area team sports history (15 years, 102 days), as well as the fourth-youngest signing ever in MLS history at the time.
“I’m very thankful for everyone at the Earthquakes, from the coaching staff to the fans, for being there for me and my family every step of the way,” Cowell stated. “We’ve shared so many great memories and I’ve built so many lifelong friends that you’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
Cowell has earned 10 caps with the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team, making his debut in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in December of 2021. He represented the U.S. in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he made five appearances and scored his first goal at the senior international level in a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Cowell also represented the U.S. at the U-16, U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels. He played with the U.S. U-20 National Team in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, leading the squad with three goals and helping Team USA reach the quarterfinals.
“It’s always a blessing to add more and more games with your national team,” he said. “You never know when you will get to go back or when your last game will be so I cherish every camp and use that as motivation that I need to prove something every time.”
Cowell started playing soccer at the age of four under grandfather Ed’s tutelage.
He spent two seasons in the Ceres Youth Soccer Organization’s recreational league.
Cowell played 71/2 years of competitive soccer, including two with the Ceres Earthquakes FC, three with the Modesto Ajax, and 21/2 with the Ballistic United Academy.
