CINCINNATI – Expansion club FC Cincinnati began building their inaugural Major League Soccer roster Monday with the acquisition of two players, but team officials expect to add at least one more piece before the current transfer window closes next week.
Technical director Luke Sassano said he anticipates another player announcement soon, though it may be a short-term deal as a trial for the 2019 MLS squad.
On Monday, Cincinnati announced the signings of Portland TimbersDesignated PlayerFanendo Adi and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Fatai Alashe. The transfer window closes Aug. 8.
“We are actively pursuing guys,” Sassano said. “We do not want to be reactive, we want to be proactive.”
FC Cincinnati owner Carl Lindner III called Adi and Alashe the "foundation" of the club’s MLS roster, but the current USL team already has some quality players that could also earn a spot next year.
Head coach Alan Koch said it is uncertain how many players FCC will take to MLS from the USL.
“We will definitely take some of those players,” Koch said. “It's a group we feel confident in, that we can take some of those guys with us. … We know all the different mechanisms ahead of us, the draft, free agency. I think if we can get a few players from all the different mechanisms it will allow us to build a very good team for next year.”
In other recent moves, Koch’s contract was extended through the 2020 season last week to give the promise of more stability as the club enters MLS.
He already had been signed through 2019 last August, with the stipulation that the contract would apply for both USL or MLS. But after FCC was announced as MLS's 24th team on May 29, the club felt it was important to make it clear that Koch would be sticking around.
“We’re working incredibly hard to build something special,” Koch said. “In a short amount of time, we all collectively have built something incredibly special. But we still have a lot of work ahead and we’re excited to embrace that challenge.”
