Independence Shores up Defense with Addition of Mechack Jérôme
May 1, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Independence News Release
CHARLOTTE, NC (May 1, 2015) - The Charlotte Independence today announced the signing of an additional defender, as Haiti Men's National Team member Mechack Jérôme has agreed to terms with the USL expansion team. Jérôme arrived in Charlotte late Monday night and began training with the club Tuesday morning. However, Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries is still unsure whether Jérôme will see minutes in this weekend's match.
"Mechack has got great experience and he's come in off a couple different training camps and he's come in off the Haitian National Team and so forth so his fitness level is pretty good," said Jeffries. "So we'll see. It's always hard when guys come in at the beginning of the week to get them involved but (he has) trained pretty well."
A member of the Haiti Men's National Team since 2008, Jérôme has played 29 international matches, most notably during the 2009 and 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cups, the 2008 and 2012 Caribbean Cups and 2010 Wold Cup qualifying matches. He began his professional playing career in 2006 with Baltimore de St. Marc in the Ligue Haïtienne and then Mirandela in the Portuguese Second Division.
Jérôme moved to the North American soccer ranks in 2010 after he was spotted by then Austin Aztex head coach Adrian Heath during a friendly between the Haiti Men's National team and the Aztex. The USL PRO club signed Jérôme in June 2010 and he made his debut on September 11, 2010 in a 3-1 loss to the Puerto Rico Islanders.
Prior to the 2011 season, new owners purchased the Aztex and moved the club to Orlando, Fla., where it was renamed Orlando City SC. Jérôme became a regular for the USL PRO powerhouse, appearing in 14 matches during the championship run in 2011 and playing in 20 games, scoring one goal and adding three assists, as Orlando City won the regular-season title in 2012.
Jérôme was signed by Sporting KC of MLS on February 28, 2013, where he appeared in 10 games, making eight starts. Sporting went on to win the MLS Cup that season. After being released by Sporting in March 2014, Jérôme had a short stint with the Montreal Impact.
"Mechack is a very good technical player, can play out of the back and can play either right back or center defender," said Jeffries. "He's played both very well. He also has great athleticism, good pace, is very strong. And he brings also maybe a little bit of bite to the team and is a little bit of a harder player, more physical player, which I think is a plus for us as well."
The Independence (0-2-2) will face Louisville City FC (2-0-3) on Saturday, May 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm ET at UNC-Charlotte's Transamerica Field.
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