All signs pointing towards D.C. United acquiring Jose Guillermo Ortiz

Jose Guillermo Ortiz, who was officially unveiled as a new signing by Costa Rican club CS Herediano today, is apparently going to be joining D.C. United on loan. The rumor has been going in Costa Rica for days, and just hours ago, Ortiz’s agent Kurt Morsink said they were “very close” to a loan deal to an MLS club. Since then, the Washington Post’s Steve Goff declared a deal - the standard MLS one year loan with a purchase clause built in - to be done:

When reached, D.C. United declined official comment on Ortiz. Still, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and in this case there’s lots of smoke. Hours after the 24-year old forward/midfielder was presented as a player for Herediano, Ortiz was spotted holding a D.C. road jersey:

While the indications may not have meant anything (Ortiz did play for Alajuelense against United in February 2015 and could very well have swapped shirts with someone), he has since changed his Twitter bio in a manner that spells things out pretty clearly:

Adding fuel to the fire in today’s news conference, former DCU player/current Ortiz agent Kurt Morsink not only discussed the timeframes for a loan, but also expressed disappointment at the way Alajuelense treated Ortiz both professionally and financially. Ortiz has normally played as a second forward next to target man Jonathan McDonald (who the Black-and-Red were also linked with at one point), though an offseason acquisition put Ortiz on the wings at times during the 2016/17 Torneo Invierno.

In a funny and possibly related note, former D.C. United forward Jairo Arrieta was unveiled by Herediano later in the day: