ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota United signed midfielder James Rodríguez to a short-term contract on Friday, the Major League Soccer club's highest-profile player to date in an arrangement that gives the Colombia veteran a team to ramp up with in preparation for the World Cup this summer.
Pending completion of his medical exam and securing of his visa, Rodríguez will occupy an international roster spot on a guaranteed contract through June when the league pauses for the World Cup. The deal includes a club option through the remainder of the MLS season until December.
“I’m very happy for this new chapter in my life,” Rodríguez said. “I hope to be at my best so I can bring joy to this city and to all of the people who are putting their faith in me. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the passionate Minnesota fans because I’m also a passionate player who wants to give everything on the field and always wants to win.”
Rodríguez was introduced at a news conference at Allianz Field, where the club will play its home opener on Feb. 28 against Cincinnati. The Loons begin their 10th season in MLS on Feb. 21 at Austin.
Chief soccer officer and sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad was more focused on Rodríguez's fit in the locker room and on the field than the size of his brand, with more than 51 million followers on Instagram.
“That is an added bonus, to me it’s about the person, it’s about the football, it’s about the team,” El-Ahmad said. “I'm excited that a person that has this big persona was like, 'Actually, that's what I want to be a part of, to help the young ones, and also have the group help me. Sometimes things fall into place.”
Rodríguez, 34, has bounced around in recent years, with stints with Olympiacos in Greece, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Rayo Vallecano in Spain and Club León in Mexico since 2023. Rodríguez helped lead Colombia to the Copa America final in 2024, the country's first such appearance in 23 years. He has 31 goals in 122 career international matches with Colombia.
The 5-foot-11 Rodríguez became a worldwide star at the 2014 World Cup, when he won the Golden Boot award as the tournament's leading scorer with six goals in five matches. He joined Real Madrid in Spain after that, spending six seasons with the La Liga powerhouse and also had stays with Bayern Munich in Germany's Bundesliga and Everton in the English Premier League.
Minnesota United lost to San Diego in the Western Conference semifinals last season. Coach Eric Ramsay departed for the job with West Bromwich Albion in England's second tier League Championship, and Cameron Knowles was promoted to replace him.
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FILE - Colombia's James RodrÌguez takes a free kick during the first half of an international soccer friendly match between Mexico and Colombia Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.
In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.
The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.
Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.
“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”
In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.
The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.
In the capital city of La Paz, government authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.
Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.
In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities.
In Guayaquil, roughly half a million faithful attended the “Cristo del Consuelo” procession. Amid displays of devotion, some participants walked barefoot, while others wore thorn crowns or dragged crosses.
In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful, who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.
Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country, including Medellín.
While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.
In several countries, including Mexico, Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.
AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
