The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker is set to begin playing for the Texas-based club in 2027, when they launch their inaugural USL Championship campaign.
“I’ve been fortunate to live the dreams that every young footballer hopes to experience,” Hernandez told club website.
“I’ve worn some of the biggest shirts in the world and played in incredible stadiums in front of passionate supporters. Opportunities like this, though, are different.”
Founded in 2024, Atletico Dallas are the latest expansion franchise of the United Soccer League and will compete in the USL Championship, which is sanctioned by the US Soccer Federation as a Division II professional league.
MLS currently remains the United States’ only Division I professional league. However, the USL plans to launch USL Premier, a Division I competition, in 2028.
The proposed league would sit at the top of an interconnected three-tier structure, with the long-term ambition of becoming the first major professional football system in the US to introduce promotion and relegation.