Adrian Arregui - Remember Him?

As a 24 year-old, Adrian Arregui arrived in Montreal in February 2017 and stayed four months, making 8 appearances (6 MLS, 2 Canadian Championship).

Come June that year his loan deal from CA Temperley of the Argentinian Superliga was not extended, and back to Greater Buenos Aires he went, eventually taking his appearances total with the Gasolero to 70 before another loan spell took him to San Martin Tucuman in 2018 where he made another 18 Superliga appearances.

Again considered surplus to requirements at Temperly, he was sent on yet another loan in the latter half of last year, this time to Independiente Medellin in Colombia’s Primera A. El Rojo Paisa finished 9th, just outside the places to extend their Clausura season in the Quadrangular tournament, but Arregui played in 17 out of 20 championship games and managed to get back amongst the goals, registering 4 times.

Photo by Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images

However it was in the Copa Colombia where he found real success, contributing significantly and winning the first major title of his career. Going into the two-legged final against Deportivo Cali, he had already appeared in 5 of his team’s 6 games in the competition. A turbulent first-leg in Cali with 8 yellow cards and one red brandished, ended 2-2, but four days later back in Medellin, Arregui gave Independiente a 20th minute lead.

When fellow Argentinian German Cano added a second, 15 minutes later, Independiente had the perfect platform to take into the second-half. If that name sounds familiar to Impact fans, it’s no great surprise, since Cano played a significant part in one of the greatest nights in recent Montreal Impact history. He scored the penalty for Pachuca in The Big O, the night Cameron Porter raised the roof with his 94th minute equalizer to send IMFC into the Champions League semi-finals on away goals.

Cali did strike back, too little, too late, halving the arrears in the third minute of stoppage time at the second-leg’s conclusion. Arregui was a winner at last as Independiente ran out successful on aggregate by 4-3.

His reward? Stability. Arregui’s loan move was made permanent and he gets the opportunity to play international competition for the first time, the Copa Colombia victory qualifying Independiente Medellin for the 2nd preliminary round of the Libertadores Cup. There they will meet Deportivo Tachira from the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal in a few days time.

Should they win that two-legged contest, the next opposition will be The Strongest La Paz (Bolivia) or Atletico Tucuman (Argentina) in the 3rd Preliminary Round, to decide who reaches the group stages, where the winners will face Boca Juniors (Argentina), Libertad (Paraguay) and Caracas FC (Venezuela).

Exciting times ahead for Adrian Arregui...