Columbus Crew SC announced Friday it acquired Finnish fullback Jukka Raitala from Norwegian first division side Sogndal IL. The 28-year-old comes to the club as a discovery signing and will be added to the roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa. Raitala will occupy an international roster spot.
“Jukka joins Columbus Crew SC as a talented defender with significant experience across European top flight clubs and with the Finland national team,” sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We are pleased to welcome Jukka to Columbus and look forward to integrating him into our system for the 2017 campaign.”
NEWS: #CrewSC acquires veteran European D Jukka Raitala. He’ll be added to the roster pending ITC & P-1 Visa.
📰 https://t.co/7nOaq1rBk9 pic.twitter.com/3W2OF8DE3Q— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 23, 2016
Columbus Crew SC Acquires Full Back Jukka Raitala
Raitala has ten years of European club experience, including stints in Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Holland’s Eredivisie. The left back joined TSG Hoffenheim in Germany on a season-long loan deal during the 2009-10 season and made his debut against Werder Bremen on April 14, 2010. Two years later, while on loan with Osasuna in Spain, he started in the club’s 3-2 upset win over FC Barcelona on February 11, 2012.
Later, he moved to Dutch club SC Heerenveen where he made 36 appearances across all competitions in four seasons. He later played for Danish sides FC Vestjælland and Aalborg BK before his latest stop in Norway with Sogndal.
Raitala brings extensive international experience to Crew SC. The Kerava, Finland native has 36 caps with his country’s full national team. Before that, he played for the U-21 side that qualified for the 2009 UEFA European Championship at that level. He later went on to be named U-21 Player of the Year.
Crew SC’s left back situation was a revolving door of sorts in 2016. Waylon Francis, who made 28 starts the following season as the club made it all the way to MLS Cup, started just 13 games last year. Veteran full back Corey Ashe, whose option was recently declined, appeared in 18 matches, starting 14. Raitala should get consistent minutes and provide a compliment to Harrison Afful who plays on the right.
Crew SC’s preseason begins on January 23rd when the club travels to São Paulo Brazil for a preseason camp that lasts until February 9th. The team then returns to Ohio for a short camp at SuperKick in Powell that ends February 12th. From there, Columbus travels to Charleston, SC for the Carolina Challenge Cup, joining MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders, expansion side Atlanta United FC and USL club Charleston Battery.
