Washington Spirit sign Chilean forward Yanara Aedo

The Washington Spirit signed Chilean attacker Yanara Aedo, the club announced this evening. Aedo played for the Washington Spirit Reserves and practiced with the team during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Per the club, two players will be waived later this week to make room for the arrival of Aedo and Estefania Banini.

Aedo is listed as a forward/midfielder and would likely fit in as an outside forward in a 4-3-3 or as an attacking central midfielder. She scored two goals in the 2015 USL W-League championship game with the Spirit Reserves, and recently played alongside Banini at the Spanish side Valencia FC. She is expected to arrive in a week or two but a firm timetable isn’t set.

Aedo joins a glut of Spirit forwards and doesn’t fill a crucial need for the team. Line Sigvardsen Jensen will be gone for several weeks due to Euro 2017, but Aedo and Sigvardsen Jensen don’t play similar roles.

When Cali Farquharson and Kelsey Wys are activated, two more players would need to be waived. The Spirit currently have 25 contracted players but three players - Farquharson, Wys, and Joanna Lohman - are on the disabled list, thus not requiring a spot on the 20 player active roster. Banini and Aedo are not yet in the US, and the Spirit will have to make moves to activate them.