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USL FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Introduces First Class of Players with MLS and International Experience

December 7, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
FC Cincinnati News Release


CINCINNATI - FC Cincinnati, the new professional soccer franchise owned by Cincinnati businessman and philanthropist Carl Lindner III, which will begin play in March introduced its first class of players, all of whom have professional or international soccer experience.

Among local interest is the signing of Austin Berry, a Cincinnati native who played at Summit Country Day and was drafted by the Chicago Fire in 2012, earning the MLS Rookie of the Year honors that season. This past season, Berry, 27, has been playing in South Korea with FC Anyang after being traded to Philadelphia Union for the 2014 season.

FC Cincinnati also signed the following players to its roster:

- Corben Bone, 27, a midfielder from Plano, Texas who made his professional experience with the MLS Chicago Fire on May 8, 2010. He also has experience with the Philadelphia Union and Wilmington Hammerheads. He attended Wake Forest University where he was ACC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ACC in 2009.

- Mitch Hildebrandt, 27, a goalkeeper from Livonia, Michigan who made his professional debut on May 25, 2012 with the Minnesota United FC. He made 15 appearances for Minnesota United FC from 2012-15. Hildebrant attended Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Michigan earning First Team Honors in the Summit League in 2009 and 2010.

- Pat McMahon, 29, a defender from Bolingbrook, Illinois who signed his first professional deal in 2013 with the Swedish side, Ljungshile SK. In 2014, he signed with the USL's Rochester Rhinos. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2005-08 where he started 85 consecutive matches, a school record he set in 2008.

- Francisco Narbon, 20, a defender from Panama City, Panama. In 2014, he played soccer at James Madison University. Narbon also represented Panama in the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in 2015 and the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in 2011.

- Paul Nicholson, 29, a midfielder from Whitehaven, England has played professionally with the USL's Wilmington Hammerheads since 2011. He played soccer at the University of Rio Grande from 2005-08 where he earned First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference awards in 2008.

- Tyler Polak, 23, a defender from Lincoln, Nebraska made his MLS debut with the New England Revolution on March 10, 2012. In 2013, he joined the USL's Rochester Rhinos and, in 2014, he played for NASL's Minnesota United FC. Polak played soccer at Creighton University in 2010 and earned conference honors including Freshman of the Year.

- Eric Stevenson, 25, a midfielder from Columbus, Ohio who was drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the second round (34th overall) in 2014. He played soccer at the University of Akron from 2010-12.

- Ross Tomaselli, 23, a midfielder from Wilmington, North Carolina who played with the USL's Wilmington Hammerheads in 2014. He played soccer at Wake Forest University from 2010-13.

- Kenney Walker, 26, a midfielder from Wickliffe, Ohio, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the second round (38th overall) in 2012. He made his debut for Los Angeles on May 26, 2012 against the Houston Dynamo. He also has playing experience with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Carolina RailHawks. He played soccer at the University of Louisville from 2007-11.

- Andrew Wiedeman, 26, a forward from San Ramon, California, who was drafted in 2010 by FC Dallas in the second round (21st overall). He also has playing experience with Toronto FC and the Ottawa Fury. Wiedeman played soccer at University of California Berkley from 2007-09 earning First Team All Pac-10 honors in 2008 and 2009. His signing is pending International Transfer Certificate (ITC) approval.

"I am excited about our first class of players that we signed today," said Head Coach John Harkes, a veteran of Major League Soccer and the U.S. National Team. "We plan to be aggressive on offense and tenacious on defense, with a fast-paced style of play that we think our fans will enjoy."

FC Cincinnati will join the United Soccer League (USL) and play its season from March through September. Season tickets are on sale and available at www.FCCincinnati.com.

The Club will join the USL's East Division as the league's 26th club. Rivals in the USL will include: Harrisburg City Islanders, Louisville City FC, Pittsburgh, New York Red Bulls II, Riverhounds and Saint Louis FC, among others.

"Our roster building effort began over the summer, when we signed John Harkes to be our Head Coach and Director of Soccer. We trusted that John, with his extensive soccer network around the world, would be able to identify and recruit excellent players for FC Cincinnati. We are thrilled to present them to Cincinnati soccer fans today," said Jeff Berding, President & GM of FC Cincinnati, a former executive with the Cincinnati Bengals. "These players are special because they are our first. As our first class of players, they will always hold a special place in this franchise and with our fans. Fans know the first. These players, led by Austin, are ours."

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