FRISCO - Arguably the youngest and most dynamic central midfield in Major League Soccer is even better as today it was announced that FC Dallas has added former River Plate starlet Ezequiel Cirigliano.
The 23-year-old, who spent his previous season on loan at Hellas Verona where he made 13 appearances for the Serie A side, was being chased by many clubs across Argentina and Italy, but FC Dallas has landed the central midfielder.
“(Cirigliano) is a ball winner. He’s physical and aggressive, but he’s also skilled and can find someone at the point of attack 40 or 60 yards away,” said Technical Director Fernando Clavijo. “I think he’s going to complement what we have in place. We were looking for someone young who we could build around and have for many years. We did that with Fabian (Castillo), Mauro (Diaz), all of our younger players. This team is getting younger and younger, but at the same time getting better and better.”
After debuting with River Plate at 18 years old and even captaining the team on occasion at age 20, the Argentine was linked to some of the biggest clubs in the world while playing a key role in the Argentina U-20 National Team. A move to the Serie A was next for the youngster, but after a tumultuous 18 months, he struggled to find playing time in a situation not unlike one that Mauro Diaz found himself in.
Cirigliano becomes the second signing from River Plate in the past three seasons joining 24-year-old Diaz who has certainly worked out for the club.
“This player is a similar situation [to Diaz] and after coaching changes he’s fallen out of favor which creates an incredible opportunity to bring him to FC Dallas,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “River was looking to do something and there was a whole host of Argentine clubs lined up to sign him and they couldn’t allow a player like that to be transferred within their league. We are the benefactor of that and we’re very excited.”
What seemed to be a pressing need in central midfield heading into the season has certainly been quelled to a large extent with the rise of 19-year-old Homegrown Kellyn Acosta alongside stalwart Victor Ulloa. However, competition is never a bad thing and the addition of Cirigliano brings a player with a significant pedigree to an FCD team currently tied at the top of the MLS Western Conference.
“I’m happy to have a team that is deeper in the roster and happy to have someone else to give us options so we can rotate when we need to,” said head coach Oscar Pareja. “The competition at the end is what we look for and that will make us all better.”
The Argentine joins an FC Dallas midfield already stocked with young and exciting talents, which follows the ethos of what the club is striving to build at Toyota Stadium.
“Philosophically for us we’re trying to bring in young, talented players and continue to develop them,” said Hunt. “This coaching staff and the mentoring they all give really helps these players grow. All you have to do is look at the performances of players like Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz, Victor Ulloa and Kellyn Acosta. Bringing a pedigreed, young player like Cirigliano who we can continue developing from a highly regarded club like River Plate is the ideal target for the legacy we’re trying to build here.”
