New York City FC officially added Ronald Matarrita to their ranks on Wednesday, providing the Cityzens' back line with a dose of youth and dynamism.
The 21-year-old left back, who can also play a left midfield role, had been rumored to be making his way stateside from LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica, and was acquired with the use of the league's new Targeted Allocation Money system.
"It’s a very big step for me as a footballer, to have this opportunity. From the moment I heard that New York City FC was interested in me I became very motivated. Now that it’s a reality I will take full advantage of it to help the team be successful,” Matarrita said. "For me to get the chance to share the training field with the level of talent in the club, three World Cup titles, is incredible. I will try to take great advantage of the experience and the opportunity to learn from them and try to improve as a player."
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Matarrita worked his way through each level of the Costa Rica youth national team program before making his senior team debut in May, where he has amassed six caps. He started the two most recent World Cup qualifying games for Costa Rica, against Panama and Haiti in November.
“In Matarrita, we are getting a young, motivated and versatile player at the perfect stage of his career,” said NYCFC sporting director Claudio Reyna in a statement. "He has already broken through as an international and can help strengthen our squad immediately and at only 21, we know he will develop into an even more important player in the future.”
