D.C. United sign Altay winger Martin Rodriguez

D.C. United this evening announced that winger Martin Rodriguez had been signed to a permanent transfer from Turkish Super Lig club Altay SK. The deal was done using Targeted Allocation Money, and runs through 2024, with an option for 2025. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, nicknamed Tin, will join the Black-and-Red once his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) is cleared and he receives his U.S. work visa, and will be available for selection when the secondary transfer window opens July 7.

“Martín is a dynamic attacking player in the prime of his career who we are excited to add to our roster to bolster our offense,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United President of Soccer Operations, said in a press release. “We’ve been monitoring Martín for some time, and he has performed at the highest level for both club and country. We are getting a proven attacker who has earned multiple caps with the Chilean National Team, and experience at top Liga MX clubs. We’re excited to add someone with his level of experience and ability, and we believe he will be an impact player for us from the start.”

Rodriguez appeared with sides like Cruz Azul, Pumas and Mazatlan during time in Liga MX, and also appeared with Chilean side Colo Colo, the latter of whom were also interested in his services ahead of Copa Sudamericana play, but D.C. paid a reported $300,000 release clause that was triggered after Altay was relegated from the Super Lig.

Rodriguez has also seen some time with Chile’s national team, earning 12 caps, including several during the 2018 World Cup cycle. Interest in Rodriguez by D.C. began to emerge last weekend, with the deal being close to done early this week. Rodriguez slots into the international roster spot vacated by Edison Flores, whom we’ll discuss shortly.

In the meantime, here’s another highlight reel: