TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Athletic signed former USL Tulsa Roughneck defender Claudio Munoz for the 2019 season as he became the 11th announced signee for the upcoming campaign.
“Claudio Munoz brings unmatched experience in professional soccer in both the United States and Chile” Daniel DeVore, GM of Tulsa Athletic, said. “His success at the highest level of Chilean soccer plus one year in the USL shows he can make a huge impact for the Athletic in the 2019 season. We are very excited to have him on our backline, and he brings key leadership and experience to the defense. We expect a huge year from Claudio this season.”
Munoz played the 2018 season with the Tulsa Roughneck on the backline. He made 30 starts on defense and played in 31 contests. For the season, Munoz totaled 2,703 minutes on defense. The Santiago, Chile native, won 29 tackles and totaled 119 clearances in 2018. He added 21 blocks and 83 interceptions from his defensive position. Munoz registered 1,101 successful passes with a passing accuracy of 87.6 percent. He was named to the USL Team of the Week once during the season after helping the Roughnecks earn a 2-1 win over San Antonio FC.
Before his time with the Roughnecks in 2018, Munoz played for numerous Chilean football clubs from his youth in 1997 to 2017. His senior career started in 2004 with Universidad Catolica. In 2008, he made appearances with Union Aletico Maracaibo and Provincial Osorno. From 2009-10, the defender played for Universidad de Concepcion. After a season at Union La Calera, Munoz made 145 appearances with Huachipato from 2012-16, his longest tenure during his professional career. Munoz helped the club win the Primera Division Championship in 2012. He ended his time in Chile with Deportes Antofagasta and San Marcos de Arica from 2016-17.
In the top level of Chilean football, Mumoz appeared in 182 contests and posted six goals. He played 16,057 minutes in the top level in Chile during his professional career.
Outside of his professional career, Munoz made two appearances for Chile national team in 2006.
The 2019 season for Tulsa Athletic starts on May 5 when the club plays host to Little Rock Rangers at 2 p.m. at Veterans Park.
2019 Tulsa Athletic Season Ticket Memberships are now on sale with three different levels available for the 2019 home schedule at Veterans Park. Buy your season tickets today at www.tulsaathletic.com.
