DC United get their man a little earlier than expected after reaching an agreement with Rapid Wien to sign Taxiarchis Fountas immediately rather than wait out his contract. United had signed a pre-contract with the Greece international meaning he would start playing for United already this summer. transfer window opened, but the Black and Red and the Rapide accepted $400,000 transfer fee reported to expedite the 26-year-old’s move to MLS until today.

Fountas, who will wear the number 11 shirt, will join Edison Flores as a designated player for United, while several reports when he first signed said he would be the club’s highest-paid player. United’s interest in acquiring Fountas as soon as possible was well known, with United chief executive Lucy Rushton making it clear in an interview with Black and Red United last month. The new terms also changed the length of Fountas’ contract, with the striker now on a deal until 2024, with an option held by the club for 2025. Previously, United said his contract terms ran until 2024. in the summer of 2025, with the option to extend for the back half this season.

For United, spending money to make a move that was going to happen for free might not seem to make much sense. However, between the American men’s transfer window ending in early May and the summer window which does not open until early July, United would have played 17 games before they could legally field ‘Taxi’ in competition. Moving the case forward, they just need to sort out Fountas’ work visa and international transfer certificate, which should take about three weeks.

With an April 9 game at NYCFC moved to August due to the MLS champions’ progress to the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals, United are likely to play just one more game before Fountas does. be available for selection, which means that they will only have played 5 games over the season. before having him in the fold rather than 50% of their 2022 MLS schedule.

“We are extremely pleased to accelerate the acquisition of Taxi,” United chairman of football operations Dave Kasper said in a team statement announcing the deal. “We believe he is a player capable of having an immediate impact on the team and it was important for us to bring him in as soon as possible.”

“This is a massive step by the club to ensure Taxi is able to have an immediate impact on the team’s results at the start of the 2022 season,” Rushton said in the same statement. “We have started the season positively and the addition of Taxi to Hernán’s system will add a crucial spark for us on the attacking side of the ball. playoffs this season.

Fountas has spent his career in the Austrian and Greek top flight. During three seasons with Rapid Wien he was prolific, scoring 45 goals and adding 21 assists in 90 total appearances, including one against Arsenal in the Europa League. He made his professional debut with AEK Athens aged 16, before moving to Austria when they acquired Red Bull Salzburg at the start of the 2013 season. Salzburg sent Fountas on a series of loans to SV Grödig, Panianios GSS and Asteras Tripolis.

After his contract with Salzburg ended, Fountas spent a season in the German 3.Liga before returning to the Austrian Bundesliga with SKN St. Pölten in the summer of 2018. Fountas did enough there as a starter regular, scoring four goals, to finish making the leap to a traditional powerhouse at Rapid Wien, joining them at the start of the 2019 summer window.

The addition of Fountas, who has 8 caps for Greece and last appeared in September’s World Cup qualifier against Kosovo, should significantly boost United’s attack. After seeing Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes leave on a lucrative transfer fee, United’s attack has lost some of the power it showed in 2021, where the Blacks and Reds were one of the most scoring offenses of MLS (with underlying data indicating that their success was enduring). Across four games in 2022, DCU is tied for 19th in shot creation actions (68), 16th in expected goals (5.1) and tied with six other teams for 11th in actual goals (5).

The move brings United to nine contracted internationals. Striker Kimarni Smith is on loan at Loudoun United, leaving DC with eight international players and eight international roster spots. Once he receives his visa and ITC, Fountas thinks of jumping into the lineup alongside Flores, playing under or to one side while one of Ola Kamara, Michael Estrada or Nigel Robertha fills the position. centre-forward.