29-year-old Argentine reunites with former coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez and joins CLTFC on a 12-month loan deal
CHARLOTTE, NC (Wednesday, January 19, 2022) – Charlotte FC today announced the Club has signed Cristian Ortíz from Mexican side Club Tijuana on loan through the 2022 season with a Club option to purchase the player permanently.
The move is pending receipt of a P-1 visa and ITC. The 29-year-old will occupy an international roster slot on the Club’s inaugural roster.
Ortíz, who goes by “Titi”, joined Independiente del Valle in early 2020 and played 31 games for CLTFC head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez. He scored nine goals and added six assists for the Ecuadorian club that season across the domestic league and Copa Libertadores. He went on to score 19 goals in total for IDV before earning a move to Tijuana.
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“Cristian is a creative, dynamic midfielder who is a game changer that creates goals and is a set piece specialist . He is someone we know very well as he spent a year with Miguel at Independiente del Valle. He is familiar with his system and the style of football we want to play which will help integrate him into the squad during the preseason,” said Sporting Director Zoran Krneta. “We’ve known for a while we would have to replace Riley before preseason begins, and to immediately bring in Cristian continues to highlight the excellent work everyone in our sporting department has done assembling our roster. He has been a high-level performer across multiple leagues in South America and was productive in major competitions like Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. His addition will add an exciting element to our attack that fans will love, and we’re delighted to welcome him to Charlotte.”
Ortíz has played in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico across his career. He made his first major impact in senior football at Racing Club de Montevideo in the Uruguayan Primera Division where he broke through as a teenager and scored six goals across 37 games.
He then signed for Club Atlético Independiente where he was sent on loan for a pair of spells in Peru. For Universidad de San Martín de Porres he scored 27 goals and contributed 10 assists over 58 appearances. For 20-time Peruvian champion Sporting Cristal, he made 82 appearances with 19 goals and 17 assists.
Ortíz made 17 appearances in Liga MX for Club Tijuana prior to joining CLTFC.
Transaction: Charlotte FC acquire midfielder Cristian “Titi” Ortíz on loan from Club Tijuana
Name: Cristian “Titi” Ortíz
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 155 lbs
Date of Birth: August 20, 1992
Age: 29
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Last Club: Club Tijuana
How Acquired: 12-month loan from Club Tijuana
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