USL1 North Texas SC

North Texas Soccer Club Signs Five Players

January 31, 2019 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
North Texas SC News Release


Frisco, Texas - North Texas Soccer Club has signed former FC Dallas Academy players Carlos Avilez, Arturo Rodriguez and Oscar Romero, as well as international players Bicou Bissainthe and Abdoul Gaffar Ibrahim pending league and U.S. Soccer Federation approval.

Rodriguez, Romero and Bissainthe, all midfielders, join the club on one-year contracts with options for the 2020 season. Avilez, a goalkeeper, joins the club on a two-year contract with an option for the 2021 season. Ibrahim, primarily a left back, joins the club on a one-year loan from MFK Vyskov with an option to buy.

Avilez, 20, joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2012 and was its first Homegrown player to sign a USL contract through the club's affiliation with Oklahoma City Energy FC in 2017. Avilez has been called up to Mexico's U-20 National Team camp on two occasions.

Rodriguez, 20, joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2017 and quickly made his mark by scoring the game-winning goal against CF Monterrey Rayados in Dallas Cup XXXVIII Final to lead FC Dallas to its first Gordon Jago Super Group title. In total, Rodriguez played 13 games for the Academy in 2017, scoring eight goals.

Romero, 22, played for the FC Dallas Academy for three seasons beginning in 2013. During the 2015 season, he scored 11 goals in 26 games for the U-18 Academy team.

Rodriguez and Romero are the 29th and 30th Academy products signed to a professional contract by the FC Dallas organization.

Bissainthe, 19, is a graduate of the Real Hope Football Academy in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. While playing for Haiti's U-20 team alongside North Texas SC signing Ronaldo Damus, Bissainthe scored three goals in four games during the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

Ibrahim, 19, played for AS Togo Port before moving to MFK Vyskov in the Czech third-division in 2018. The defender has represented Togo internationally at various youth levels.

Transaction: North Texas SC signs Arturo Rodriguez, Oscar Romero and Bicou Bissainthe to one-year contracts with options for the 2020 season on January 31, 2019. It also signs Carlos Avilez to a two-year contract with an option for the 2021 season. The club also acquires Abdoul Gaffar Ibrahim on loan for the 2019 season with an option to buy from MFK Vyskov on January 31, 2019.

Name: Carlos Avilez

Pronunciation: Ah-vee-lez

Position: Goalkeeper

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185 lbs.

Date of Birth: Jan. 1, 1999

Age: 20

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Country: Mexico

Last Club: OKC Energy FC

How Acquired: Signed on Jan. 31, 2019.

Name: Arturo Rodriguez

Pronunciation: Rod-REE-gehz

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 145 lbs.

Date of Birth: Dec. 15, 1998

Age: 20

Hometown: Irving, TX

Country: Mexico

Last Club: FC Dallas Academy

How Acquired: Signed on Jan. 31, 2019.

Name: Oscar Romero

Pronunciation: Roh-MARE-oh

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 160 lbs.

Date of Birth: Oct. 8, 1996

Age: 22

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Country: USA

Last Club: Pumas UNAM

How Acquired: Signed on Jan. 31, 2019.

Name: Bicou Bissainthe

Pronunciation: Bee-COO Bee-SAUNTH

Position: Midfielder

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 180 lbs.

Date of Birth: March 15, 1999

Age: 19

Hometown: Cap-Haïtien, Haiti

Country: Haiti

Last Club: Real Hope Football Academy

How Acquired: Signed on Jan. 31, 2019.

Name: Abdoul Gaffar Ibrahim

Pronunciation: Ab-dool Guh-far EE-brah-HEEM

Position: Defender

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 160 lbs.

Date of Birth: Dec. 30, 1999

Age: 19

Hometown: Abomey, Benin

Country: Benin

Last Club: MFK Vyskov

How Acquired: Signed on Jan. 31, 2019.

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United Soccer League One Stories from January 31, 2019


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