Hartford Athletic Announce Signing of Jonathan Jiménez
The forward is the club's first new addition for the 2025 season
Hartford Athletic announced the signing of Jonathan Jiménez Vargas. Jiménez is the first new signing announced by the Latics for the 2024-25 offseason.
A native of Jiquilpan, Mexico, Jiménez grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, and joined the NYCFC Academy in 2017 before playing college soccer at the University of North Carolina.
Over the last three seasons, Jiménez played for NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro, where he was credited with 23 goals and 11 assists. He also played in four U.S. Open Cup games in 2024 - including one against Hartford - where he had four goals and four assists. In addition to recording a pair of assists in NYCFC II’s win over Hartford, he scored a hat-trick in their second-round win over NY Red Bulls II and netted the winner in their fourth-round victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
Jiménez has the capability to play across the front three. When used in the middle of attack by NYCFC II he was a reliable goalscorer but he could also play on the wings where he was adept at creating opportunities for his teammates. This is valuable flexibility for a Latics team that often felt short of options in 2024, particularly after the departure of Romario Williams and Enoch Mushagalusa and a season-ending injury to Deshane Beckford. Jiménez is also a player who does well in possession and defends well for his position, both qualities that will be valuable for Hartford in 2025.
The record of MLSNP players in the USL Championship is a little mixed. MD Myers — who had a stellar season for NYCFC II in 2023 — was an instant hit with Charleston Battery, scoring 14 goals. Other players, like Remi Cabral, Aaron Bibout, and Yosuke Hanya have followed successful MLSNP campaigns with equally successful loan spells in the Championship (with Cabral making a permanent move to Phoenix Rising this offseason).
Others, like Victor Bezerra, who failed to make a real impact in a loan to Detroit City, or Azaad Liadi, who had limited success in League One with Lexington SC, are the other side of the coin. It’s difficult to predict where Jiménez will fall on the spectrum, but he is a player with the necessary tools and should be in a good position to succeed.
The Blazing Musket will have coverage of all of Hartford Athletic’s offseason moves as they are announced.