United have acquired Costa Rican National Team midfielder Ulises Segura from Costa Rican powerhouse Deportivo Saprissa pending receipt of his P1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. United traded $50,000 in General Allocation Money to New York City FC in exchange for the right to sign Segura.
The Guadalupe native made his debut for the Costa Rican National Team in the 3-0 win against Belize in the Copa Centroamericana on January 15, 2017. Since his debut, Segura has made six total appearances for the Ticos including two appearances in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The midfielder started in the 3-0 win against French Guiana in the group stage of the tournament on July 15 and came on as a substitute in the 1-0 quarterfinal win against 2018 World Cup-bound Panama on July 20. Most recently, the 24-year-old came on as a substitute in the 67th minute of the 1-0 loss against Hungary in an international friendly. United’s Hungarian midfielder Zoltán Stieber also made an appearance in the match.
“Ulises is an exciting Costa Rican National Team player with the tools to add a powerful dynamic to our midfield,” Dave Kasper, United general manager, said. “He’s a box-to-box midfielder who can also play out wide and his performances with the Ticos and Saprissa, one of the best clubs in CONCACAF, have shown that he is on track towards becoming an elite professional. We are excited for his future with the club.”
Segura played a majority of his professional career with Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica’s Primera Division Apertura. During his tenure at Saprissa, Segura scored 12 goals and recorded two assists in 118 appearances and contributed to the team winning the Primera División de Costa Rica four times. The midfielder has experience in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL), after playing for Saprissa in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 campaigns. In 2015/2016, Segura appeared in three out four group matches but the team were unable to advance out of the group with Mexico’s Santos Laguna qualifying for the knockout stage. The following season, Segura was an integral part of the Saprissa team that made the quarterfinals of the 2016/2017 CCL. He appeared in all six games in that campaign and scored a goal against El Salvador’s CD Dragón before losing to Mexico’s CF Pachuca in the quarterfinals.
Segura started his professional career in 2014 with Deportivo Saprissa after playing for two years with their second division affiliate Generación Saprissa (2012-2014) where he scored two goals in 25 appearances. Segura spent the 2014/2015 season on loan at Uruguay de Coronado of the Primera Division Apertura and made 39 appearances for the club, scoring three and recording an assist.
Player: Ulises Segura
Position: Midfield/Forward
Birthplace: Guadalupe, Costa Rica
Country: Costa Rica
Birthdate: 06/23/1993
Age: 24
Height: 6’0"
Weight:154
Previous Club: Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica)
Status: International
Transaction: United sign Segura on a permanent transfer from Deportivo Saprissa pending receipt of his P1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate and traded $50,000 in General Allocation Money to New York City FC in exchange for the rights to sign Segura.
