Kansas City signs Mexico's Bravo for 2011

The Kansas City Wizards announced Friday that the team has signed Mexico international and Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) striker Omar Bravo as a Designated Player. Bravo agreed to a Major League Soccer contract to play in Kansas City, and subsequently agreed to a loan agreement between Kansas City, MLS and Chivas.

By the terms of the loan, Bravo will remain with Chivas Guadalajara for the remainder of the 2010 Apertura and the second leg of next week's Copa Libertadores final. The 30-year-old striker will then join the Wizards for the 2011 preseason.

"We are very pleased to have signed Omar Bravo, who is an exceptional player," Kansas City Wizards manager Peter Vermes said in a press release. "Although he won't join us until 2011, we feel that it will be very beneficial for Omar to go through a whole season with us, beginning with the preseason. The 2011 preseason will give Omar a great start to the year and allow us to indoctrinate him into our system. Omar's high-pressure, attack-oriented mentality will complement our style of play extremely well."

Kansas City and Chivas have also agreed to play home-and-home friendlies at their new stadiums in 2011 as part of the loan agreement.