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The Colombian player Santiago Arias was eagerly awaited by his fans and finally returned to the field after 9 months of uncertainty about his future. His last game was on May 15, 2022, in a defeat of Granada against Betis by 2-0. Now, he had the opportunity to play again for FC Cincinnati in the Major League Soccer (MLS) , becoming a great moment for the youth academy graduate of Club Deportivo La Equidad.
Cincinnati welcomed Santiago Arias, and coach Pat Noonan immediately trusted him, which was reflected in his first game of the season. Arias finished as the second best player on his team, with an 84% passing accuracy and winning 4 out of the 5 duels played. Yerson Mosquera also started in the game. "Santi brings a tremendous amount of experience and ability to FC Cincinnati." said Chris Albright, general manager of the team.
During the match, in the 19th minute, Cincinnati scored their first goal thanks to Sergio Santos, who received an assist from Álvaro Barreal. Although the visiting team managed to equalize the game before the end of the first half with a goal by Tate Schmitt, the home team secured their victory early in the second half with a goal by Obinna Nwobodo.
Santiago Arias and the injury that kept him away from the field
In his first game with the German team, the full-back showed great promise in the attack, and everything seemed to be in his favor. However, he had to return to Colombia for a qualifying match for the 2022 Qatar World Cup against Venezuela. It was during that match in the 10th minute that he suffered an ankle injury, resulting in a season without options for him. This was the beginning of a difficult situation for the player.
"The Colombian Football Federation and the medical staff of the Colombian National Team reported that player Santiago Arias suffered a luxo-fracture of the left ankle with multi-ligament injury in the match against Venezuela, valid for the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," said the Colombian National Team at the time.
After Santiago Arias' injury, the Germans, who had been excited about his signing, had to take charge of his recovery and hire two new full-backs for the season. A year later, Arias returned to Atlético de Madrid hoping to secure a place on the team, but instead was loaned to Granada, also in the same competition.
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