It’s not often you see players from the English Football League Championship make their move to MLS NEXT Pro, but that’s just what happened for North Texas SC.
The Western Conference club signed defender Nico Gordon from English side Birmingham City for the 2024 league season. His contract also includes an option for 2025.
The 21-year-old Gordon joined Birmingham City’s Academy in 2014 and proceeded to make 16 combined first team appearances for the club. He scored one goal for the English side and totaled 1,242 minutes of action.
“We are bringing a young player with fantastic experience at both club and senior international level already,” said North Texas SC Head Coach John Gall. “Nico has played alongside and against seasoned veterans which we know is invaluable for him and his new teammates here at North Texas. He’s a physical, athletic defender and comfortable on the ball in possession. We cannot wait to get him here and welcome him to his new home.”
Here is a closer look at all of the recent MLS NEXT Pro News:
New York Red Bulls II re-sign Steven Sserwadda
Ugandan international midfielder Steven Sserwadda is staying in the New York Red Bulls system.
Sserwadda signed a one-year deal for the upcoming MLS NEXT Pro season, the club announced. The 21-year-old will be entering his fourth season in the Red Bulls organization after originally joining in 2021.
He has logged 1,396 minutes, two goals, and one assist in 18 appearances across all competitions for Red Bulls II. Sserwadda missed most of the 2023 league campaign after undergoing knee surgery.
“Steven is a talented young player that has an incredibly useful skillset in the midfield,” said Head Coach Ibrahim Sekagya. “We have seen how he can thrive within our system, and we cannot wait to have him back in the squad.”
Shannon Murray joins Timbers’ first team coaching staff
Timbers2 will have a new head coach roaming the sidelines in 2024.
Shannon Murray has been promoted to Phil Neville’s first team staff as an assistant coach, the club announced. Murray previously served as Timbers2 head coach during the 2022 and 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaigns.
He originally joined Portland’s staff in 2018 and was part of Giovanni Savarese’s staff during the Timbers’ pair of MLS Cup runs in 2018 and 2021.
“The club has already started its process to resolve the T2 head coaching vacancy,” the franchise said in a statement.
Carolina Core FC adds Jacob Evans to midfield corps
Carolina Core FC continued to make roster moves ahead of their 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season debut.
Midfielder Jacob Evans signed a one-year contract with the Eastern Conference club through this year. Evans makes the move to Carolina Core FC after spending the last two seasons with Houston Dynamo 2. In total, Evans logged 51 appearances for Dynamo Dos, scoring four goals and adding four assists.
“Jacob is a talented midfielder with perpetual vision for the game. He has the ability to control the pace of a game and get players involved. I have observed him for the last two years and our technical staff were impressed with his ability and his potential contribution. We look forward to his continued growth and what he will bring to Carolina Core FC this coming year,” said head coach Roy Lassiter.
St. Louis CITY 2 signs six players ahead of 2024 campaign
St. Louis CITY 2 made six roster signings ahead of the new campaign.
Cam Cilley, Ryan Becher, Seth Antwi, Jayden Reid, Gabriel Mikina and Sam Gomez all signed respective one-year deals through 2024. All of their contracts include club options for 2025.
Cilley made 21 appearances during the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro seasons for Earthquakes II, totaling 1,983 minutes of play.
Reid, a defender, registered one assist in 21 appearances last year for New York Red Bulls II.
Becher played collegiately at both University of Maryland-Baltimore County and UCLA, logging a combined 76 appearances, 30 goals and 22 assists.
Antwi will battle for minutes in CITY2’s midfield after playing collegiately at Dayton University and High Point University. Born in Ghana, Antwi spent time in the Right to Dream Academy, with Manchester City’s Under-15 team and in FC Nordsjaelland Academy.
Mikina also played collegiately, totaling four combined seasons at Syracuse University and Niagara University. He also played for Polish first division clubs Rakow Czestochowa and Stal Rzeszów.
Gomez rounded out CITY2’s six signings on Friday. The goalkeeper played at both Syracuse University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during his collegiate career and most recently won the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Award.
Rapids 2 sign striker Jhonatan Restrepo
Colorado Rapids 2 bolstered their attacking options for 2024 with Jhonatan Restrepo joining on loan for the upcoming season.
Restrepo’s loan agreement also includes a purchase option for 2025, should Rapids 2 decide to exercise that option at season’s end. The 19-year-old spent the last two seasons with Colombian second-tier side Leones F.C. where he scored four goals and added one assist in 34 combined appearances.
“Jhota is a player that will fit well into our system. He has a true desire to get into the box and score goals. His engagement against the game will be a great benefit to our press. It will be exciting to see his interaction with the other talent in our attacking core,” said Rapids 2 general manager Brian Crookham.
On the international level, Restrepo has featured for both the Colombian Under-15 and Under-17 Men’s National Teams.
Rapids 2 sign goalkeeper Ethan Bandre
Colorado Rapids 2 made a second goalkeeping signing this winter.
Ethan Bandré signed with the Western Conference side ahead of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, the club announced. The 25-year-old spent the last two seasons with Sporting KC II, starting in 20 matches.
Bandre registered four clean sheets over that span, while also totaling 69 saves.
“Ethan has great experience as a winner in MLS NEXT Pro and has proven to be extremely talented in his time with our first team in preseason. With all three of our first team keepers in the mix with various national teams, Ethan will be an important part of our rotation. He is a great addition to our goalkeeping corps,” said Rapids 2 General Manager Brian Crookham.
The Kansas-born keeper spent five seasons collegiately at the University of the Pacific and Northwestern University. He also featured for USL League Two sides Kaw Valley FC and Des Moines Menace.
