Days after earning just their fifth win of the season, D.C. United made a move that could help continue the side’s improvement.

A day before the roster-freeze date, DC announced on Tuesday the signing of Spanish winger Carlos Varela from Swiss Super League club Neuchâtel Xamax for the remainder of the 2010 season.

“We are pleased to have come to an agreement with Carlos,” United GM Dave Kasper said in a statement. “He is an experienced midfielder who has excellent attacking qualities.”

Those attacking qualities were displayed over the course of an 18-year career in Switzerland. Varela, who was on trial with United for the past few weeks, played for five different clubs over the course of his time in the Super League. He scored 47 goals and, with FC Basel, won the 2002 title and the 2003 Swiss Cup.

The 32-year-old winger is initially expected to be a spark plug off the bench for United.

“He’s a guy you bring in late who can run at players,” interim head coach Ben Olsen told MLSsoccer.com’s ExtraTime Radio on Monday.

United travel to the Home Depot Center on Saturday to take on the league-leading LA Galaxy.