At the conclusion of the 2018 MLS Season, D.C. United parted ways with long time player and right back Nick Deleon after six years at the club. Securing a new right back was one of their main offseason priorities and they landed a top target in Leonardo Jara from Boca Juniors on January 30, 2019 for a season-long loan. While playing in Argentina, Jara was teammates with D.C. United star Luciano Acosta and Lucas Rodriguez during their time at Estudiantes.
“Leonardo has good defensive instincts and also has the range and ability to get forward and add a dimension to our attack,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, said. “He’s made over 150 appearances in the Argentine Primera Division, and he was the starting right back for Boca Juniors' strong run to the 2018 Copa Libertadores final.”
Since arriving in the nation’s capital, Jara has provided experience and stability to a back line that conceded 50 goals in the previous season. To start 2019, the Argentine has played every minute for the club, helping the Black-and-Red to the best defensive record in MLS. They remain the only team not to concede a goal through the first three games of the season. D.C. United have remained undefeated through that stretch with a 2-0-1(7 GF, 0 GA) overall record putting them atop the Eastern Conference.
Along his defensive duties, Jara has formed a partnership for opposing defenses down the right flank for D.C. United with Paul Arriola. Jara’s support behind him has allowed Arriola to maximize his impact in the attacking third. On opening day, Arriola was a consistent threat to Atlanta’s defense and scored the opening goal on his way to an MLS Team of the Week (Week 1) selection. While Jara provides solid defensive cover for Arriola, the Argentine also adds an element to United’s offense and constantly makes overlapping runs beyond the winger. He currently ranks fifth on the team with a passing accuracy of 84.87% and earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Week (Week 3) after providing an assist for Wayne Rooney’s second goal in the 5-0 win against Real Salt Lake on March 16, 2019.
It was clear that D.C. United needed to prioritize the right back position in the offseason in order to complete their backline. It seems General Manager Dave Kasper has successfully pulled from his Argentine pipeline with the signing of Leonardo Jara to round out his defense. The 27-year-old is an experienced veteran who has been extremely effective and important to the Black-and Red’s brilliant to start the 2019 season. Fans (and Paul Arriola) will be hoping that Jara’s fine form on the right side of defense will continue as they look to forge an ever-improving relationship on the field.
