Hartford Athletic of USL Championship have signed forward Jonathan Jiménez Vargas from NYCFC II. It represents a homecoming of sorts for Jiménez, who grew up in Norwalk, CT.
The 23-year-old joined the New York City FC Academy in 2017, went on to play for the University of North Carolina, then signed a Homegrown contract with NYCFC ahead of the 2022 season. He became one of the mainstays of NYCFC II's attack, scoring 23 goals in and logging 11 assists in 70 appearances.
He was particularly impressive in the 2024 US Open Cup, when NYCFC II went on a Cinderella run to the Round of 16 and were the farthest-advancing Division III team in the country. Jiménez had 4 goals and 2 assists in the tournament, and finished the joint-top scorer.
One of the teams that NYCFC II defeated in the US Open Cup was Hartford Athletic. Jiménez played a vital role in the extra-time triumph, providing an assist to Taylor Calheira in the 99th minute, then taking a shot in the 109th minute — the deflected save was lashed into the net by Maximo Carrizo in what proved to be the game-winner. Presumably, the Hartford front office took notice of the 23-year-old that game.
AT JUST 16 YEARS OLD, MÁXIMO HAS ONLY GONE AND DONE IT 💫 #USOC24 pic.twitter.com/DSrNM26QQf
— New York City FC II (@newyorkcityfcii) April 18, 2024
But Jiménez failed to break into the First Team. While other NYCFC II teammates were called up to Major League Soccer – left-back Christian McFarlane made eight appearances for the First Team, and midfielder Piero Elias came on as a late sub in an away game against Atlanta United – Jiménez didn't get any playing time, or even make the game-day bench.
