It turns out Jairo Arrieta's stint in Orlando was a short one.
Orlando City and D.C. United reached a deal on Wednesday morning that saw the expansion MLS club send Arrieta to the nation's capital in exchange for an international roster spot. Orlando had acquired Arrieta in the sixth round of the MLS Expansion Draft last month, but chose to trade him for what is now their 11th international roster spot.
"The additional international spot gives us some increased flexibility to finalize the squad heading into our inaugural 2015 campaign," said Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath in a statement.
Orlando have been reported in recent days to be tracking Northern Ireland striker Martin Paterson as well as Colombian prospects Carlos Rivas and Cristian Higuita of Deportivo Cali, which might explain the need for the added international slot.
Arrieta now joins a D.C. United team that finished the 2014 regular season in first place in the Eastern Conference. The 31-year-old Costa Rican scored five goals and had one assist in 23 appearances for the Columbus Crew last season.
"Jairo will provide us with important depth this year at the forward position,” said D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper in a statement. “He is a smart player who finds great spots on the field, and we like his work ethic and commitment. We welcome him to the D.C. United family.”
