TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Signing
D.C. United made official a long-rumored arrival on Monday, announcing that they have signed Argentinean winger Lucas Rodriguez on a year-long loan from Estudiantes de La Plata, with an option for a permanent transfer. D.C. also sent $50,000 of General Allocation Money to Atlanta United in exchange for Rodriguez's Discovery rights.
“We are excited to add a player of Lucas’ pedigree and experience to our roster ahead of the 2019 season,” Dave Kasper, United GM and VP of soccer operations, said in a team statement. “At 21, he has been a consistent starter at the top level of Argentine soccer over the last three seasons and has both Copa Liberatadores and U-20 World Cup experience with Argentina. Lucas can play any of the attacking positions centrally and in wide areas, and has all the qualities to succeed in Major League Soccer."
Rodriguez, a product of the Estudiantes youth academy, made his breakthrough into the first team in the 2014-15 season, making his league debut on July 11, 2015 at the age of 18. In his first professional season, Rodríguez scored three goals and recorded one assist in 11 league appearances.
In five seasons with Estudiantes, Rodriguez scored eight goals and recorded five assists in 90 total appearances, including 12 games played in the Copa Libertadores and three in the Copa Sudamericana. Rodriguez has started 14 of the team’s 15 Primera Division matches this season.
Rodriguez featured for the Argentina Under-20 national team at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, starting two of Argentina’s three group stage matches against tournament champions England and South Korea. Rodriguez was also a member of the Argentina U-20s at the 2017 South American Championship in Ecuador. The attacker started four of the team’s seven matches and scored one goal on the way to a fourth-place finish in the tournament.
