Huntsville, Ala. (March, 21, 2023) – Huntsville City FC announced today the addition of defender Sean Suber, midfielder Joey DeZart and forward Shaun Joash ahead of the club’s inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season, which is set to begin at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 26 at Crown Legacy FC in Charlotte, NC.
“We are excited to welcome all three young men to our growing project in Huntsville,” said Liam Doyle, Director of Soccer Operations with Huntsville. “Each player possesses unique individual qualities that will enable Huntsville City FC to be competitive in year one and beyond. Joey DeZart possesses MLS experience which will be vital in leading a young group. That combined with his technical quality and physical dominance make Joey an important part of the group. Joash and Suber are young, hungry professionals with an exciting future and players who can heavily contribute to our team in year one.”
DeZart joins the squad as a strong physical midfielder, who at 24 years old, already has 29 Major League Soccer regular season appearances as a member of Orlando City SC from 2020-22. Orlando City owned a 14W-6L-9D in matches in which DeZart appeared. The Philadelphia Union Academy product competed in the Generation adidas Cup with the U16 Union side before playing for Wake Forest at the collegiate level.
Joash joins Huntsville City FC after being named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2022 for Grand Canyon University. The forward scored 11 goals and recorded eight assists in his senior year. After transferring from Furman, Joash finished his collegiate career with 29 goals in four seasons, including a hat trick performance his senior year in the span of 58 minutes.
Suber was selected with the sixth pick in the Second Round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Nashville SC. Suber played three seasons at UNC Charlotte, appearing in 37 matches. In his senior season, he was named Team Captain and guided Charlotte to its best start in program history with victories in each of its first seven matches.
Huntsville City FC will make its MLS NEXT Pro debut on Sunday, March 26 when they visit Charlotte FC’s affiliate Crown Legacy FC. The home opener for Huntsville City FC at Joe Davis Stadium is set for May 19 and will mark the beginning of a four-match homestand. Fans can now purchase their season ticket memberships at www.mlsnextpro.com/huntsvillecityfc/tickets.
All Huntsville City FC regular season matches will be available to watch live and on-demand on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. MLS Season Pass is the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is home to all MLS and Leagues Cup matches and hundreds of MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches. Full schedule information can be found here.
Transactions: Huntsville City FC signs Joey DeZart, Shaun Joash and Sean Suber on March 21, 2023
JOEY DEZART
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-1
Weight: 195
Birthdate: June 9, 1998
Age: 24
Birthplace: Jackson, New Jersey
Last Club: Orlando City SC
SHAUN JOASH
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Weight: 185
Birthdate: Nov. 20, 2000
Age: 22
Birthplace: London, England
Last Club: Grand Canyon University
SEAN SUBER
Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Birthdate: June 13, 2001
Age: 22
Birthplace: Charlotte, NC
Last Club: UNC Charlotte
HUNTSVILLE CITY ROSTER AS OF MARCH 21, 2023
Goalkeepers: John Berner
Defenders: Chrisnovic (Chris) N'sa, Josh Drack, Perrin Barnes, Sean Suber, Cyrus Rad
Midfielders: Isaiah Johnston, Nick Law, Jonathan Bolanos, Danny Griffin, Joey DeZart, Ollie Wright
Forwards: Azaad Liadi, Shaun Joash
