By: Jonathan Yuhas
On Feb. 1, it was confirmed that D.C. United loaned Paul Arriola to Swansea City for the remainder of the English Championship season, giving the winger a great opportunity to play overseas for the first time and aid Swansea in their race for promotion to the Premier League. Arriola joins Swansea on a loan with no option to buy, meaning he will return to D.C. United after the English Championship season ends.
What it means for D.C. United:
Should Arriola return to D.C. United after Swansea’s season ends, he will have only missed five weeks of MLS play. That’s very good news for D.C. United fans and new head coach Hernán Losada.
MLS training camps open on Feb. 22, which is much later than the typical start due to the coronavirus pandemic and may present United with a good opportunity. Joining Swansea allows Arriola to stay active without relying on international games. He’ll be joining his U.S international teammate and Seattle Sounders star Jordan Morris in Swansea.
The MLS season is slated to start Apr. 3, but with recent labor negotiations and owner disputes with the players’ association regarding coronavirus rules, this date seems more like an expectation than an official start to the season.
Losada will be left with some roster flexibility before Arriola’s return as he looks to employ his “attacking-minded tactics” to the club. After United’s sluggish and poor performance in the 2020 MLS season without Arriola, Losada’s tactics will be welcomed.
The potential month of Arriola’s absence will be Losada’s opportunity to prove his ability as a coach in comparison to his predecessor, longtime head coach Ben Olsen. Olsen lost Arriola to an ACL tear, which left the team in disarray. United was one of only four teams to not make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last year.
The only downside for D.C United in this loan is a potentially slow start to their season. Entering the year without an established starting XI and top player, while also employing a new head coach could be the formula for a poor start, but no team will be better equipped for a rebound than D.C. United.
As they’ve shown in the 2018 season and in spurts of the 2020 season, they can overcome adversity and slow starts. These two seasons are also firm evidence in United’s ability to come out strong from a major change in the organization.
In 2018, United’s record improved tremendously after the addition of Wayne Rooney and the opening of Audi Field. In 2020, United rebounded from being last in the Eastern Conference with a 2-9-5 record, earning a draw against the first-place Philadelphia Union and winning the next three games under interim head coach Chad Ashton.
D.C United fans should be left with a sense of optimism and satisfaction from Arriola’s loan to Swansea City. Losada will be left with time to evaluate and build his team without Arriola, while Arriola will gain European soccer experience for himself. The move will benefit the player, team and club finances as they search for another playmaker.
Players such as Yamil Asad, Ola Kamara, Julian Gressel and Edison Flores will need to be able to score the goals under Losada’s system if there is any hope of a decent start to the season. But when Arriola returns to D.C. United, look to see a more polished and passing-minded player that will raise the team to a new level.
Cover Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcard 