US club make enquiry, but keeper stays at São Paulo hoping for chances | OneFootball

Signed at the start of the year to serve as backup to first-choice keeper Rafael, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel turned down an initial approach from the Los Angeles Galaxy, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team, and chose to continue his career at São Paulo.

The information was first reported by the UOL outlet and confirmed to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR by sources at the Morumbi club consulted by the report.

At the beginning of the month, journalist João Pedro Cunha revealed that the Brazilian-born, naturalized Paraguayan had been monitored by teams from the North American country.

The MLS franchise sought information about the terms of a deal, but the talks were ended by the player’s camp.

The goalkeeper made staying in Brazilian football his priority for the second half of 2026.

São Paulo’s board is aligned with the player’s stance and is not considering a deal in this transfer window. At first, Galaxy did not intend to offer money to secure the goalkeeper’s release, which discouraged even the possibility of opening talks. In addition, Dorival Júnior’s coaching staff considers keeping Coronel essential, especially given the lack of options in the squad.

Besides him and Rafael, Tricolor has only youth academy names available for the position, which is short-handed after the club’s decision to sideline Young, previously the third option. João Pedro, winner of last year’s Copinha, has just been permanently promoted to the senior squad and will alternate in that role with Felipe Preis.

In the view of Dorival and the club’s executives, there is no way to face the rest of the season without at least two experienced options.

MLS background and projected role in the squad

Carlos Coronel has extensive knowledge of the American market, where he played from the 2021 to 2025 seasons for the New York Red Bulls.

For the New York franchise, the goalkeeper made 180 official appearances and established the consistency that led to call-ups for Paraguay’s senior national team.

Before completing his move to Morumbi at the start of this year, the player had been in advanced talks with Orlando City, but passed on the offer to sign with Tricolor.

For São Paulo, Coronel has played two matches in 2026, both in the Copa Sudamericana — against O’Higgins and Millonarios — and finished both games without conceding a goal. He is under contract until the end of 2028.

Despite limited minutes in the first half of the year, the 29-year-old goalkeeper is basing his decision to stay on the expectation of receiving more opportunities in the second half of the season. With the Brazilian Championship schedule spread out and the Copa Sudamericana knockout stage ahead, the tendency is for the coaching staff to use the Paraguayan goalkeeper to manage the physical wear on the main squad. That is without even considering, of course, the risk of an injury to Rafael.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.