Just shy of nine months since he went down with a torn ACL, D.C. United winger Paul Arriola has been cleared for a return to action.
The club announced the news on its official Twitter account on Thursday, revealing that Arriola is eligible to feature when the club takes on the Montreal Impact on Decision Day presented by AT&T.
Arriola originally suffered the injury back in February during a preseason match. The 25-year-old was in danger of missing the entire season, but had said in recent weeks he was feeling optimistic that he could see the field before the end of the 2020 campaign.
Those hopes seem set to be realized ahead of D.C.'s final regular season match. The club are playoff longshots but could squeak in with three points against Montreal and some help from outside results.
DC, under interim coach Chad Ashton, are currently at 0.95 points per game, leaving them second from the bottom in the East, but that's actually not too far off the pace of the teams that currently occupy those final two slots, with the Impact and Chicago Fire FC at 1.05 points per game. DCU would also need to vault over Atlanta United, which is currently at 1 PPG.
