September 23, 2010
Arrieta to play for Puerto Rico; Union defender Cristian Arrieta will compete for Puerto Rico in the 2010 Digicel Caribbean Championship.
CHESTER, Pa. – Philadelphia Union defender Cristian Arrieta has been called up to join the Puerto Rican National Team to compete in the Qualifying round of the 2010 Digicel Caribbean Championship. The competition, which takes place in Puerto Rico from October 2-6, is the tournament in the Caribbean Region of CONCACAF.
As a member of the USL-1 Division Puerto Rico Islanders, Arrieta was named two-time Defender of the Year and the 2009 USL MVP. This call is Arrieta’s first with Puerto Rico as the national squad faces Anguilla on October 2, Saint-Martin on October 4 and the Cayman Islands on October 6 as part of the Group A Qualifying round.
The 31-year-old will depart for Puerto Rico on September 28, where he will remain until October 7. He will miss the Colorado Rapids away game on Wednesday, September 29 and the Houston Dynamo match at PPL Park on Saturday, October 2. Arrieta will report back to Philadelphia in the early morning of October 7, and will be eligible to play that night against the LA Galaxy.
Arrieta is the second member of the Union to be called by a National Team this season, Alejandro Moreno was called up by Venezuela earlier this year.
