Vincello, who shoots from the left foot, has played the last four seasons in the A-League, all with the Toronto Lynx. He played a minimum of 20 games per season from 2000 to 2003, for an average of over 2,000 minutes (2092.5) spent on the field each year.
"Mauricio is an experienced defender who will add a lot of attacking options since he likes to go forward and initiate the counter-attack," said Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. "We've never had a natural left full-back before and it will give us an extra dimension on the back line."
Vincello was proclaimed Lynx Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. He only missed a total of 16 games in four seasons, the Toronto club winning only once in his absence.
The 5’9" and 170-pound athlete kicked off his career in his native country with Defensores de Salto as well as club San Lorenzo. He was signed by the Lynx following an impressive performance at the Copa Latina tournament, in Miami, Florida.
Arango, a member of the under-20 Canadian national team that qualified for the 2003 Youth World Championship, only played a total of five minutes in two games with the Impact last year. The defender from Rexdale, Ontario, was playing in his first A-League season.
"It's always tough to see a promising young player with so much talent leave the team," added DeSantis. "But realistically, with Gabriel Gervais, Nevio Pizzolitto and Adam Braz all capable of playing the central defender position, it would have been tough for Andres to get some playing time this year. At this stage, he needs to play, which is why we decided to let him go."
Vincello is the Impact’s second acquisition in the last month. On January 22, the Montreal club announced the signing of forward Nikola Budalic.
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SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
