FC Cincinnati have signed Colombian defender Santiago Arias on a free transfer, the MLS club announced Thursday.
Arias, who was a free agent after leaving Atletico last summer, signed a contract through the 2023 season with an option for 2024.
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“Santi brings an enormous amount of experience and ability to FC Cincinnati,” Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright said. “His defensive instincts, character, and overall quality is a welcome addition to the group and I’d like to welcome him and his family to Cincinnati.”
Arias, 31, has played in nearly 300 games with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Spain’s Atletico Madrid, Portugal’s Sporting CP, the Netherlands’ PSV Eindhoven and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen.
He spent last season on loan from Atletico at Granada, where he made 12 LaLiga appearances. Arias’ most successful period came when helping PSV win three straight Eredivisie titles from 2015-18.
Internationally, he has earned 54 caps and appeared in two World Cups and three Copa Americas for Colombia.
Cincinnati, which joined MLS in 2019, reached the playoffs for the first time last season.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.