CLEARWATER, Florida − Engaging a player for a trial like FC Cincinnati did with right back Santiago Arias this preseason can be a delicate dance.
Arias, who has a history of injuries in recent years after a successful career in Europe's most challenging environments, needed to play well enough to impress FC Cincinnati, and then earn a contract offer. But absent a contract, any player in Arias' position would be cautious in physically applying himself without any kind of monetary or career safety net in the event of another injury.
Arias' soccer bona fides are unquestionable considering where his career had taken him, but he still had to prove to FCC officials he could handle the rigors and physical toll of Major League Soccer, which are renowned and considerable.
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Arias had impressed FC Cincinnati throughout his trial dating back to the early days of preseason at the club's Mercy Health Training Complex in January. But it was during the Feb. 1 scrimmage against the University of South Florida when he revealed his blistering speed in a manner that convinced FCC of his viability once and for all.
"He had a play against USF where he hit a speed that, you know, that was the first we'd seen of that live," Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. "And so you could tell he was progressing... with a commitment on that specific run."
Details of the contract Arias earned with FC Cincinnati were revealed Thursday. The 31-year-old Medellin, Colombia, native is signed for the 2023 season and Cincinnati has an option to bring him back in 2024.
"In the end, a dream for me. It’s important for me to have come here, they trusted me after the time I was without being in a team," Arias said Friday through a team interpreter. "So, I'm happy for the opportunity and to prove everything at the beginning of the season.
"Now, first, it's to get back into rhythm. To contribute what I learned for so many years in Europe, also the Colombian national team, which I was also there for a long time. So I think that's what it is—to come, to show, try to help the team, not only within the field but out as well, with some leadership. I also think that, in the end, you earn it with the experience you have. So, I think that is what it is — to come, give the best of myself to my teammates, most of all the younger ones, that I want to demonstrate the conditions and qualities.”
How FCC landed Arias
The courting process between club and player was an admittedly short one in the case of Arias, who revealed Friday FC Cincinnati had only reached out regarding a trial a little over a month ago.
Arias had been without a club since late summer 2022 when his contract expired with Atlético de Madrid of Spain's top flight.
Arias missed 15 matches last season while on loan with Granada CF due to a hamstring ailment. The year before that, a fractured fibula sidelined him. Other injuries of varying severity had dotted his career, which included two FIFA World Cups with Colombia and a successful stay at Dutch powerhouse, PSV Eindhoven.
"I also had other teams interested," Arias said through the interpreter. "In the end, I thought it was good. I thought the project that Cincinnati has is nice. So, in the end, I chose this path because I think that I can come here to contribute the best from me and try to help the team to what they want to achieve.”
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Landing Arias always held the possibility of a big steal for FC Cincinnati, but they still couldn't ignore his injury history.
As a result, Arias' trial lasted about a month even though he was turning heads with his play in practice.
"We needed to assess his health, obviously," Noonan said. "Coming in having been off for quite some time, you want to see the quality, which we expected, but it's the health of the player and, so, going through the medicals and all the tests and exams."
Arias conceded that his litany of injuries was a reasonable concern for FCC, but he was also quick to point out that his last setback occurred more than a year ago.
“I had time without a competitive rhythm. Obviously, I was training, but it's just not the same," Arias said via an interpreter. "I knew that the team, obviously, had to show first to me, I think, that in terms of quality. And I don't have a problem with this. The physical part was what worried them the most, not only Cincinnati but also many teams, but I think I made a good decision. I listened a lot to Pat and Chris Albright (general manager) and as I said, what they told me at the end of the day was very interesting. That's why I came here because I think it's a good team to once again rise to the level that I showed a long time ago.”
What Arias can offer FC Cincinnati
Arias' pedigree is conveyed in several ways, mostly by the club sides he played for previously.
From the heights of the 70,000-seat Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Arias will now offer his pedigree and experience at TQL Stadium, where FCC now finds itself with three able right-backs and of a wealth young players who can study Arias.
The relationship between player and club has already been fruitful. With the trial in the past and the ink dry on the contract, Noonan said he expects to see even more from Arias.
"Now, probably the comfort level of a contract is now going to put him in a position where he's really good to push himself knowing that, you know, without a contract, you don't want to get hurt," Noonan said. "So, there's probably... areas that he was protecting in his first couple of weeks with us. He's going to add experience. He's going to add quality with the ball and decision-making with the ball. I think he's going to add somebody that can get up and down the flank. And he's a winner. And I think that's important."
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