Austin Bold FC Signs Defender Jermaine Taylor and Midfielder Calum Mallace
January 23, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) - Austin Bold FC News Release
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Bold FC announced today the signing of Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor and Scottish-born midfielder Calum Mallace for the 2019 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval. Taylor arrives in Austin after previously playing with Minnesota United FC, while Mallace spent the 2018 season in Los Angeles with LAFC.
"With Jermaine and Calum, we have added high-level talent with MLS experience to our squad," said Austin Bold FC Head Coach Marcelo Serrano. "Jermaine is an amazing defender - very tough, very solid - and will provide tremendous leadership on and off the field, especially for the young players we have on our squad.
"Calum has the technical qualities to play multiple positions, allowing him to play both defensive-midfield and offensive-midfield. He adds true value to our group, with great qualities as a person and a player."
Taylor appeared in 14 matches with six starts for Minnesota United FC during their inaugural season in 2017. The Portland, Jamaica native joined the Portland Timbers in 2016 after being selected in the 2015 Re-Entry Draft, appearing in 23 matches with 21 starts. Prior to that, Taylor played five seasons with the Houston Dynamo, starting in 101 of 106 appearances. Taylor helped steer the Dynamo to back-to-back Eastern Conference crowns (2011, 2012) in his first two Major League Soccer campaigns.
The defender began his professional playing career at the age of 19 in the Jamaican National Premier League, appearing in 110 matches over eight seasons with Harbour View and St. George's SC before signing with Houston in 2011.
At the international level, Taylor has appeared in 101 matches for the Jamaica national team, the seventh-most caps in senior team history, after working his way up through the U-17 and U-20 sides. Taylor has won three Caribbean Cup championships with the Reggae Boyz (2005, 2010, 2014), scoring in penalties to defeat Trinidad and Tobago in the 2014 Final. Taylor gives ABFC three players with Jamaica senior national team experience, joining defender Sean McFarlane and goalkeeper/coach Ryan Thompson.
Mallace spent last season with LAFC, helping the club place third in the Western Conference in its inaugural season. The 20th overall selection by the Montreal Impact in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Mallace appeared in 80 career regular-season matches with 51 starts for the club and registered 4,415 minutes played before moving to Seattle Sounders FC via trade in August 2017, appearing in three matches with USL Championship Seattle Sounders FC 2.
The Torphichen, Scotland native moved to Mendota Heights, Minn. at the age of nine and went on to play collegiately at Marquette University. Mallace started in 62 of his 69 appearances for the Golden Eagles and earned 2011 Big East Conference Midfielder of the Year and All-Big East Conference First Team honors. Mallace played with the Chicago Fire Premier in the Premier Development League in 2011, guiding the club to a third-round appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
With the addition of Taylor and Mallace, Austin Bold FC has announced a total of 19 players (Faris Abdi, Xavier Báez, Edson Braafheid, Darío Conca, Thomas de Villardi, Fabien Garcia, Kléber Gladiator, Sonny Guadarrama, Promise Isaac, Sean McFarlane, Diego Restrepo, Marcelo Saragosa, Valeri Saramutin, Ryan Thompson, Jorge Troncoso, Kris Tyrpak, London Woodberry) for the 2019 inaugural season. The club will announce additional player signings in the coming weeks.
On Oct. 24, the club broke ground on Bold Stadium, a 5,036-seat soccer-specific stadium to be located adjacent to the Grand Plaza at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the premier destination for entertainment and motorsports in the United States. The stadium is the first soccer-specific stadium built in Central Texas and has been engineered to provide an outstanding experience for both fans and players ahead of the Bold's inaugural Spring 2019 season.
Austin Bold FC is preparing for its inaugural USL Championship season in 2019. Preseason activities are underway and the regular season will kick off on March 9. Fans can purchase 2019 season and match tickets by calling the Austin Bold FC sales office at 512-655-6300 or by visiting AustinBoldFC.com. For more information about the Bold, supporters can follow the club on Twitter (@AustinBoldFC) and Instagram (@AustinBoldFC) and like Austin Bold FC on Facebook.
Images from this story
Defender Jermaine Taylor with Minnesota United FC (Minnesota United FC) |
Midfielder Calum Mallace with LAFC (LAFC) |
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