D.C. United midfielder Paul Arriola completed a loan move to Swansea City on Monday, joining a Championship club pushing for promotion back to the Premier League.
Arriola joins his U.S. men’s national team teammate Jordan Morris with the Swans for the remainder of the season. Morris headed to Wales on loan earlier in January, and Swansea has an option to buy Morris fully. There is no such option in Arriola’s deal.
The 25-year-old midfielder has scored 14 goals with 13 assists since joining D.C. United in 2017 from Mexican club Tijuana. Arriola also scored twice for the U.S. in Sunday’s 7-0 friendly win against Trinidad and Tobago.
💥 Welcome to Swansea, @PaulArriola 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KOJvT5BObo
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) February 2, 2021
“We have spoken with Paul and we understand how exciting this step is for him in his professional career,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, said in a statement. “We wish Paul the best of luck and look forward to him rejoining our club.”
Swansea currently sits in second place in the Championship, the second tier of English football’s pyramid. Swansea last competed in the top flight in the 2017-18 season.
Arriola suffered a torn ACL in February 2020, but he returned as a substitute for D.C. United’s regular season finale on Nov. 8, 2020. He has since participated in the U.S. national team’s camps in December and January.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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