By MIKE GRAMAJO
Orlando City Soccer Club still has more than a year to go before they officially kick a ball in Major League Soccer, but that hasn’t prevented the expansion club from making its first signing.
After being named 2012 USL Pro’s Most Valuable Player, midfielder Kevin Molino has signed a multi-year deal with Orlando City SC. Molino will remain on the USL Pro team for the upcoming season before making the jump to MLS.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Kevin was out of contract with us and was being courted heavily in Europe and the (United) States,” Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath said in a press release. He’s turned down deals from several MLS teams to stay with us in Orlando. That says a lot about his love for this club. He will be a great asset for us again in 2014 and moving forward into MLS.”
The Trinidad and Tobago international has recorded 13 assists since 2011. He was also called up to represent his national team last summer in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
With their final USL Pro campaign months away, the Lions will take part in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic from Feb. 19 to March 1 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
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What do you think of this development? Agree with this signing? Think that Molino can make a difference in MLS?
Share your thoughts below.
END THE EXPANSION DRAFT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They can sign whoever they want, just don’t steal my team’s players that we developed.
+1
MLS please stop trying to be the NFL or the NBA. Just be soccer.
Which means what? Even other soccer leagues have different player acquisition rules.
yes but expansion drafts isn’t one of them
Of the “other leagues” you are referencing, are any of them still expanding?
END SINGLE ENTITY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+5000
agreed.
Didn’t the Sounders negotiate MLS rights to all lower level players when they made the jump. Seems like Orlando should have at least locked up the MLS rights to all of the players on their current roster.
They have the rights but that doesn’t mean they will sign them. Those are two different things.
But wouldn’t that be two contracts with two entities, since OC is a minor league team still — and I think you sign with them directly — and you usually sign with MLS itself as a player? I know MLS has usually tried to present the image of minor league teams just sliding into MLS under the same name with a similar logo and such, but I’d be interested if legally they start again from scratch, new corporation or whatever, intellectual property sold from old to new…..and then the players move from team contracts to league contracts……
That is why we have you here man . . . . my brain stopped at 11 assist in 2 yrs in a minor league not being incredible.
Very interesting point.
A technicality that will shortly be remedied…
I’m sure that OC will just transfer to contract over to MLS in a year or so, probably not a big deal. Seattle did the same with Le Toux the year before their entry, so it’s not unprecedented.
Maybe there’s a clause for him to end up in Louisville if he doesn’t make the MLS roster.