Cristian Arrieta
|
Arrieta with the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Arrieta | ||
| Date of birth | September 18, 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Orlando, Florida, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | Gravellona | 23 | (1) |
| 1998–2002 | Mestre | 79 | (5) |
| 2002–2003 | Genoa | 0 | (0) |
| 2003 | Alessandria | 9 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | Ivrea | 25 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Cervia | 33 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Lecco | 26 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Lecce | 7 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Puerto Rico Islanders | 54 | (17) |
| 2010 | Philadelphia Union | 16 | (0) |
| 2011 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 14 | (1) |
| 2012–2014 | Juventus Domo | ? | (?) |
| 2014–2015 | Briga | ? | (?) |
| 2015–2016 | F.A. Euro | 5 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2010–2018 | Puerto Rico | 22 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2015 | LIAC New York (U19) | ||
| 2015 | F.A. Euro (U14) | ||
| 2016 | Athletic Union (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cristian Arrieta (born September 18, 1979) is a retired professional footballer who played as a defender and worked as a head coach for youth clubs. He represented the Puerto Rico national team, making 22 appearances and scoring five goals between 2010 and 2018.[1]
Born in Orlando, Florida, Arrieta has Spanish and Italian heritage. He began playing football in Italy at clubs in lower divisions. In 2008, he returned to North America to sign for the Puerto Rico Islanders and made appearances under head coach Colin Clarke. During the 2008 season, the Islanders finished first in the regular-season standings and reached the league final. Arrieta received USL First Division end-of-season awards, including Defender of the Year, and was selected to the All-League First Team.[2][3]
In February 2010, he ranked 14th in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade list.[4] That same year, he gained his first cap for the Puerto Rico national team. He made a total of 22 appearances until his retirement as a player in 2018.[1]
Club career
Europe
Born to a Basque-Spanish father and a Portuguese mother from Salento,[5] Arrieta grew up in Bilbao, Spain, and Borgomanero, Italy. He spent much of his early career playing in the Italian lower divisions, with over 120 appearances for clubs such as Varese, Mestre, Ivrea, and Alessandria in the Serie C2. He took part in the Italian reality show Campioni, il sogno (Champions, the dream), centered around the football club Cervia.[6]
In 2005, he signed with Lecco in Serie C1, and in 2006 he joined Lecce in Serie B, where he made seven appearances.[7][8]
North America
In 2008, Arrieta signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders in the USL First Division. On September 19th, the club won its first Commissioners Cup by finishing first in their league's regular season standings. Arrieta finished the season with seven goals and two assists. Arrieta remained with the Islanders during the 2008 season, during which they finished first in the regular-season standings and reached the league final. He was named Defender of the Year and selected to the USL First Division All-League First Team.[9] In the club's playoff run, the Islanders reached the USL First Division final, where they were defeated by the Vancouver Whitecaps by a score of 2–1. The Islanders also participated in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League.
During the 2009 season, Arrieta scored 10 goals and made five assists, finishing fourth in the league's scoring rankings. He and the Islanders returned to the playoffs with a third-place finish. For the second consecutive year, Arrieta became an All-League selection.[10] On October 15th, 2009, Arrieta was awarded the Defender of the Year and Most Valuable awards, becoming the third player in USL history to win the award in consecutive seasons. On the same night, he won the Most Valuable Player award, becoming the second defender to receive the award, after Marcelo Balboa in 1988.[11]
Arrieta signed with Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union on April 5th, 2010.[12] Philadelphia waived him on February 8th, 2011.[13] He signed with Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League on March 31st, 2011.[14] Arrieta was released by the club at the end of the season.
International career
Arrieta played for the Puerto Rico national team in September 2010.[15] As a United States citizen, Arrieta became eligible to represent Puerto Rico after meeting residency requirements while playing for the Puerto Rico Islanders.[16] He won his first cup in a 2010 Caribbean Cup qualification stage match against Anguilla on October 2nd, 2010, and scored his first goal in the same competition against Saint Martin two days later.[17][18]
Coaching career
Between 2013 and 2015, Arrieta held youth coaching roles in New York, including positions with Massapequa Soccer Club, LIAC New York, and Oceanside United. In April 2015, he joined the coaching staff of the Italian Soccer Training Exchange Program (ISTEP).[19]
Personal life
Arrieta was the winner of the Italian football reality show Campioni, il Sogno.[20]
International goals
- Scores and results list Puerto Rico's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | October 4, 2010 | Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Saint Martin | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 Caribbean Cup qualification |
| 2. | November 12, 2011 | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia | 1-0 | 4-0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | February 26, 2012 | , Managua, Nicaragua | Nicaragua | 1-0 | 1-4 | Friendly |
| 4. | June 2, 2012 | Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Nicaragua | 1-0 | 3-1 | Friendly |
| 5. | September 9, 2012 | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Saint Martin | 4-0 | 9-0 | 2012 Caribbean Cup qualification |
Honours
Club
Puerto Rico Islanders
- USL First Division Championship runner-up: 2008
- Commissioner's Cup: 2008
- CFU Club Championship runner-up: 2009
Individual
- USL First Division MVP: 2009
- USL First Division Defender of the Year: 2008, 2009
References
- ^ a b "Cristian Arrieta". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
- ^ mlssoccer. "Cristian Arrieta | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- ^ "Top USL-1 honors announced | FutbolBoricua.net" (in Spanish). October 15, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- ^ "USL-1 Top 25 of the Decade". USLsoccer.com. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Di Naso, Luca (May 28, 2015). "Dalla polvere di stelle di "Campioni – il Sogno" al sogno made " Stars and Stripes"". radiolab.it. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ "Campioni - Archivio News - La Rosa" (in Italian). Mediaset.it. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ "Cristian Arrieta team profile". Puerto Rico Islanders. Archived from the original on July 16, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ^ "Cristian Arrieta. Domestic League Stats, Goals, Records". fbref.com. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
- ^ "USL-1 All-League Teams announced". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "USL-1 All-League Teams announced". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "Top USL-1 honors announced". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "Philadelphia Union Sign Cristian Arrieta | Philadelphia Union". Archived from the original on December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Union Waive Defender Cristian Arrieta | Philadelphia Union". Archived from the original on February 10, 2011.
- ^ "North American Soccer League". Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ "Arrieta Called Up to Puerto Rican National Team". Philadelphia Union. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ "Llega ayuda en la defensa de la Selección Nacional". Primerahora.com. September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ "Group A, Match 2: Puerto Rico 3 Anguilla 1". Digicel Football. October 3, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ "Digicel Caribbean Cup Game 4: Puerto Rico 2 – Saint Martin 0". Digicel Football. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ Cristian Arrieta at Linkedin, linkedin.com
- ^ "Da 'Campioni' alla Nazionale di Porto Rico: il sogno a metà di Arrieta, tra Cervia, Inter e Lecce | Goal.com Italia". www.goal.com (in Italian). October 15, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2026.