View source for Alejandro Moreno

{{short description|Venezuelan footballer (born 1979)}}
{{for multi|the Mexican volleyball player|Alejandro Moreno (volleyball)|the politician|Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas|the wrestler|Alejandro Muñoz Moreno}}
{{family name hatnote|Moreno|Riera|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox football biography 
| name                 = Alejandro Moreno
| image                = Alejandro Moreno 2011 Chivas USA.jpg
| caption              = Moreno with [[Chivas USA]] in 2011
| fullname             = Alejandro Enrique Moreno Riera
| birth_date           = {{birth date and age|1979|7|8}}
| birth_place          = [[Barquisimeto]], Venezuela
| height               = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
| position             = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| currentclub          = 
| youthyears1          = 1993–1998
| youthclubs1          = Dallas Texans
| collegeyears1        = 1998–2001
| college1             = [[UNC Greensboro Spartans]]
| years1               = 2002–2004
| clubs1               = [[Los Angeles Galaxy]]
| caps1                = 61
| goals1               = 12
| years2               = 2005
| clubs2               = [[San Jose Earthquakes]]
| caps2                = 31
| goals2               = 8
| years3               = 2006–2007
| clubs3               = [[Houston Dynamo]]
| caps3                = 34
| goals3               = 3
| years4               = 2007–2009
| clubs4               = [[Columbus Crew]]
| caps4                = 74
| goals4               = 20
| years5               = 2010
| clubs5               = [[Philadelphia Union]]
| caps5                = 26
| goals5               = 2
| years6               = 2011–2012
| clubs6               = [[Chivas USA]]
| caps6                = 46
| goals6               = 7
| totalcaps            = 272
| totalgoals           = 52
| nationalyears1       = 2004–2012
| nationalteam1        = [[Venezuela national football team|Venezuela]]
| nationalcaps1        = 41
| nationalgoals1       = 3
| medaltemplates       =
}}

'''Alejandro Enrique Moreno Riera''' (born July 8, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[forward (association football)|forward]], and who is a television commentator for [[ESPN FC]], [[ESPN Deportes]] and [[ESPN Latin America]]. Moreno won three [[MLS Cup]]s during his professional career. Moreno was chosen in 2021 to work as a commentator in the [[2020 European Championship]].

==Club career==

===College===
Moreno spent a year in [[Texas]] at age 12 and spent succeeding summers there before earning a scholarship for four years of [[College soccer in the United States|college soccer]] at [[University of North Carolina at Greensboro|UNC Greensboro]]. He finished his college career fourth on the team's all-time scoring lists, with 65 goals and 25 assists, having been named first team NSCAA All-South all four years with the team.

===Professional===
After completing his career at Greensboro, Moreno was drafted 27th overall in the [[2002 MLS SuperDraft]] by the [[Los Angeles Galaxy]]. He played sparingly in his rookie season, but developed into an excellent sparkplug coming off the bench in his second season, when he registered six goals and two assists in 1,117 minutes of playing time.

Although Moreno exhibited a good deal of promise in 2003, he was not able to earn a consistent starting role with the Galaxy because of a logjam at the forward position, which included Guatemalan star [[Carlos Ruiz (Guatemalan footballer)|Carlos Ruiz]] and former US international [[Jovan Kirovski]], as well as recent acquisition [[Joseph Ngwenya]]. In 2004, Moreno again registered six goals and two assists, this time in 1,297 minutes. He was traded to [[San Jose Earthquakes]] in the offseason in a four-player deal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/sports/quakes-acquire-moreno-aloisi-in-trade-with-galaxy/nKkhp/ |title=Quakes Acquire Moreno, Aloisi In Trade With Galaxy &#124; www.ktvu.com |access-date=2014-11-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104143952/http://www.ktvu.com/news/sports/quakes-acquire-moreno-aloisi-in-trade-with-galaxy/nKkhp/ |archive-date=2014-11-04 }}</ref> In his lone season with the Quakes, Moreno scored eight goals with four assists. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season.

Moreno was traded to the [[Columbus Crew]] on May 10, 2007, in exchange for [[Joseph Ngwenya]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=houstoncolumbusdeal |title=Dynamo pick up F Ngwenya in trade with Crew - MLS - Yahoo Sports |access-date=2017-01-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305104613/http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=houstoncolumbusdeal |archive-date=2016-03-05 }}</ref> He scored the first goal in the [[2008 MLS Cup]] for Columbus, who eventually won the game 3-1 against [[New York Red Bulls]].

Moreno was selected by the [[Philadelphia Union]] in the [[2009 MLS Expansion Draft]] on 25 November 2009.<ref>[http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091125&content_id=7718268&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp Union select 10 players in expansion draft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128081229/http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091125&content_id=7718268&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp |date=November 28, 2009 }}</ref>

On November 24, 2010, Moreno was selected by [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC]] in the [[2010 MLS Expansion Draft]], but was immediately traded to [[Chivas USA]], along with [[Alan Gordon (soccer)|Alan Gordon]], in exchange for allocation money and an [[MLS International Roster Slots|international roster spot]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2010/11/whitecaps-fc-select-ten-players-mls-2010-expansion-draft-trade-four-selections-three-ml |title=Whitecaps FC select ten players in MLS 2010 Expansion Draft - Trade four selections to three MLS clubs |publisher=Whitecapsfc.com |date=2010-11-23 |access-date=2012-08-16}}</ref>

Moreno remained with Chivas USA through the 2012 season. After the conclusion of the 2012 season, Chivas USA declined the 2013 option on Moreno's contract and he entered the [[2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft]]. Moreno became a free agent after he went undrafted in both rounds of the draft. In February 2013, he joined the [[Philadelphia Union]] as a television commentator, ending his playing career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/thegoalkeeper/Philadelphia-Union-hire-Alejandro-Moreno-as-new-color-analyst-for-local-television-broadcasts.html|title=Philadelphia Union hire Alejandro Moreno as new color analyst for local television broadcasts|publisher=Philadelphia Media Network (Digital), LLC|date=February 7, 2013|access-date=December 9, 2017}}</ref>

==International career==
Moreno's performances in MLS saw him receive call-ups for the [[Venezuela national football team|Venezuela national team]]. He made his first appearance for the senior team on February 18, 2004, against [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]]. Due to his high quality of form during the [[2008 Major League Soccer season|2008 MLS season]], Moreno was again called up to the Venezuela national team for some [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]] matches, scoring against [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]] on October 15, 2008, in a 3–1 win.

==Media career==
In 2013, [[ESPN FC]] hired Moreno as a [[color commentator]] and [[Sports analyst|analyst]]. He frequently covers [[Liga MX]] and [[Mexico national football team]] games on [[ESPN]]'s English-language networks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/alejandro-moreno/|title=Alejandro Moreno|publisher=ESPN|access-date=December 9, 2017}}</ref> In 2014, he served as color commentator for the [[Philadelphia Union]] of [[Major League Soccer]].

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/alejandro-moreno/stats/|title=Alejandro Moreno|website=MLS Soccer|access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
|-
!rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season
!colspan=3|League
!colspan=2|[[MLS Cup Playoffs]]
!colspan=2|[[U.S. Open Cup]]
!colspan=2|International cup
!colspan=2|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[LA Galaxy]]
|[[2002 Major League Soccer season|2002]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
|12||0||5||0||3||1||colspan="2"|—||20||1
|-
|[[2003 Major League Soccer season|2003]]
|24||6||2||0||3||3||1{{efn|name="CCC"|Appearance(s) in [[CONCACAF Champions Cup]]}}||0||30||9
|-
|[[2004 Major League Soccer season|2004]]
|25||6||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||28||6
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!61!!12!!9!!0!!7!!4!!1!!0!!78!!16
|-
|[[San Jose Earthquakes]]
|[[2005 Major League Soccer season|2005]]
|MLS
|31||8||2||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||35||8
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Houston Dynamo FC|Houston Dynamo]]
|[[2006 Major League Soccer season|2006]]
|rowspan="2"|MLS
|30||3||4||0||3||3||colspan="2"|—||37||6
|-
|[[2007 Major League Soccer season|2007]]
|4||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||3{{efn|name="CCC"}}||0||7||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!34!!3!!4!!0!!3!!3!!3!!0!!44!!6
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Columbus Crew]]
|[[2007 Major League Soccer season|2007]]
|rowspan="3"|MLS
|25||7||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||25||7
|-
|[[2008 Major League Soccer season|2008]]
|27||9||4||1||2||0||colspan="2"|—||33||10
|-
|[[2009 Major League Soccer season|2009]]
|22||4||1||0||1||0||5{{efn|name="CCC"}}||0||29||4
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!74!!20!!5!!1!!3!!0!!5!!0!!87!!21
|-
|[[Philadelphia Union]]
|[[2010 Major League Soccer season|2010]]
|MLS
|26||2||colspan="2"|—||1||0||colspan="2"|—||27||2
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Chivas USA]]
|[[2011 Major League Soccer season|2011]]
|rowspan="2"|MLS
|24||5||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||24||5
|-
|[[2012 Major League Soccer season|2012]]
|22||2||colspan="2"|—||3||0||colspan="2"|—||25||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!46!!7!!colspan="2"|—!!3!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!49!!7
|-
!colspan="3"|Career Total
!272!!52!!20!!1!!19!!7!!9!!0!!320!!60
|}
{{notelist}}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{NFT player|id=7202|name=Alejandro Moreno|access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="8"|[[Venezuela national football team|Venezuela]]||2004||3||0
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
|2006||2||0
|-
|2008||5||2
|-
|2009||10||0
|-
|2010||8||0
|-
|2011||11||1
|-
|2012||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!42!!3
|}

:''Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Moreno goal.''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Alejandro Moreno 
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
|style="text-align:center"|1
|{{dts|20 August 2008}}
|[[Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui]], [[Puerto La Cruz]], Venezuela
|{{fb|Syria}}
|style="text-align:center"|4-0
|style="text-align:center"|4-1
|[[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]]
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Venezuela vs. Syria |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/matches/report/12466/Venezuela_Syria.html|website=National-football-teams.com |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center"|2
|{{dts|15 October 2008}}
|Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela	
|{{fb|Ecuador}}
|style="text-align:center"|2-1
|style="text-align:center"|3-1
|[[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Venezuela vs. Ecuador|url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/matches/report/3056/Venezuela_Ecuador.html|website=National-football-teams.com |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center"|3
|{{dts|25 March 2011}}
|[[Montego Bay Sports Complex]], [[Montego Bay]], Jamaica
|{{fb|Jamaica}}
|style="text-align:center"|2-0
|style="text-align:center"|2-0
|Friendly
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Jamaica vs. Venezuela |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/matches/report/9952/Jamaica_Venezuela.html|website=National-football-teams.com |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|}

==Honors==
'''Los Angeles Galaxy'''
* [[MLS Cup]]: [[2002 Major League Soccer season|2002]]
* [[Supporters' Shield]]: [[2002 Major League Soccer season|2002]]

'''San Jose Earthquakes'''
* Supporters' Shield: [[2005 Major League Soccer season|2005]]

'''Houston Dynamo'''
* MLS Cup: [[2006 Major League Soccer season|2006]]

'''Columbus Crew'''
* MLS Cup: [[2008 Major League Soccer season|2008]]
* Supporters' Shield: [[2008 Major League Soccer season|2008]], [[2009 Major League Soccer season|2009]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Alejandro Moreno}}
* {{MLS player|alejandro-moreno}}
* {{NFT player|7202}}
* [http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/alejandro-moreno/ ESPN staff bio]

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Simon Elliott]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chivas USA]] captain|years=2012}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dan Kennedy (soccer)|Dan Kennedy]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Venezuela Squad 2011 Copa América}}
{{MLS on ESPN}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Alejandro}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Barquisimeto]]
[[Category:Venezuelan men's footballers]]
[[Category:Venezuelan expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:LA Galaxy players]]
[[Category:San Jose Earthquakes players]]
[[Category:Houston Dynamo FC players]]
[[Category:Columbus Crew players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Union players]]
[[Category:Chivas USA players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:UNC Greensboro Spartans men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Venezuela men's international footballers]]
[[Category:2011 Copa América players]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer players]]
[[Category:LA Galaxy draft picks]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer broadcasters]]