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Orlando City striker Cyle Larin arrested on DUI charge

Orlando City striker Cyle Larin was arrested early on Thursday morning on a charge of drunken driving.

Larin was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol for driving the wrong way in Orlando and nearly causing a head-on collision, about three miles from Orlando City's stadium. 

The 22-year-old blew .179 and .182 on on sobriety tests, more than double the legal limit of .08. He told troopers he was unfamiliar with the area and had difficulty answering questions, police said.

Larin remained held in Orange County jail overnight before being released shortly before noon on Thursday.

MLS said Larin would be assessed by the league's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program and would be ineligible to play until he is cleared and the league completes an investigation.

In 2015, MLS required Seattle Sounders midfielder Marco Pappa to undergo the same program after his drunk-driving arrest. He missed four games, but the arrest did not affect the Guatemalan's ability to stay in the U.S. or travel to games in Canada.

"Orlando City SC takes great pride in the way it represents the Orlando community and expects all players, coaches and front office staff to uphold that standard at all times, both on and off the field," Larin's club said in a statement.

"The Club is very disappointed in Cyle Larin's actions that resulted in these charges and does not take this situation lightly. We are working with local authorities, Major League Soccer and Cyle to take appropriate action in line with league protocol."

The arrest came hours after Orlando's U.S. Open Cup defeat on Wednesday night, though Larin did not play after appearing for the Canada national team in Montreal on Tuesday.

Larin was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 MLS draft out of the University of Connecticut and has found early success. He was rookie of the year in 2015, scoring 17 goals, had 14 in 2016 and eight so far this season.

He has drawn interest from overseas clubs, but an MLS source said in May that transfer offers were not high enough to be considered.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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