Atlanta United announced Thursday that they have signed defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez from Club Estudiantes de La Plata of Agentina’s Primera Division. Pirez, 24, was signed with Targeted Allocation Money, and he will join the team as soon as he receives his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 visa.
“We’re happy to have secured another player in his prime who has experience playing in his top domestic league,’’ Atlanta United president Darren Eales said. “As we continue to build and assess our roster, we believe Leandro identifies an area of need for our club and we look forward to him making a difference in 2017 and beyond.’’
Pirez, a former Argentina youth international who is from Buenos Aires, made his professional debut at 19 with hometown club River Plate, before going on loan to Belgian club Gent in 2013-14. From there, he was loaned back to Argentina club Arsenal de Sarandi, and then joined Tigre on a free transfer in 2015. He transferred to Estudiantes in 2016, and played 10 games for the club. In all, he has appeared in more than 100 professional games.
He becomes the third Argentine on Atlanta United’s roster, joining Hector “Tito’’ Villalba, and Yamil Asad.
