Orange County SC transfers the prominent forward Ronaldo Damus to Sweden’s GIF Sundsvall
Damus joined Orange County with the goal of showcasing his talent and developing under the leadership of the OCSC’s coaching staff to put himself in the best position to take it to the next level with a European first division club. He will be the latest talented young player to show his potential in a professional environment with OCSC and earn a transfer move, following previous moves that led the team to compete in their first transfer with international partner club Rangers FC in Glasgow, where young goalkeeper Aaron Cervantes moved to Scotland. Cervantes signed with OCSC 2018 after playing youth soccer in Southern California and making his professional debut in goal just days after his 17th birthday with OCSC.
Before Cervantes’ transfer, Maryland-born Bryang Kayo joined OCSC 2019 and completed a move to Vfl Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga.
“I am proud that OCSC has once again successfully partnered with a young, ambitious player to help him reach his goal of playing first division football in Europe,” said OCSC owner and CEO James Keston. “As a fan of OCSC, I’m disappointed to see Ronaldo leave us; but with exceptional young talent representing OCSC’s first team, and a pipeline of exceptional youngsters coming up quickly in our OCSC reserve team, OCSC will continue to deliver exciting young talent to the transfer market for many years to come. ”
On OCSC’s 2022 list, defender Kobi Henry and midfielder Francis Jacobs – both 17 years old – highlight the ongoing development of the club’s Pathway to Professional model.
Henry, who made his professional debut with OCSC as a 16-year-old, played an important role in the club’s defensive unit at the end of last season. That gave Henry a call-up to the USMNT U20 squad for the Revelations Cup, followed by his first senior team call at USMNT’s annual December camp and friendly match. Jacobs, who made his professional debut with the club as a 14-year-old, has played many matches with Rangers FC, including joining their U16 team in the prestigious Alkass Cup 2020 in Dubai.
At the same time, newcomers like 19-year-old defender Alex Villanueva left the Seattle Sounders FC organization and 18-year-old forward Korede Osundina signed on from Barcelona Academy USA and want to build their professional careers with OCSC along with their goal of achieving their dreams of playing. at the highest level.
“OCSC’s commitment to its young players has always been that we will challenge them in a structured environment made up of experienced professional coaches and players,” said Keston. “And give them the tools and instructions to help them improve, and actively help them reach the highest levels of professional football around the world.”
Before OCSC, Damus scored 21 goals in 35 games for North Texas SC in USL League One in two seasons. In 2019, he won the USL League One’s Golden Boot winner and part of the title-winning team along with current FC Augsburg and US men’s national team forward Ricardo Pepi. By winning the Championship title a season ago, Damus became the first player to win both the USL League One and USL Championship titles.