Huntsville City FC expands global footprint with addition of six; Liadi departs

HUNTSVILLE – A half dozen players from around the world are joining the Huntsville City Football Club roster for its second season.

The new internationally experienced “men in blue” hail from Spain, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic and France.

In addition to the new signings, the club has mutually agreed to part ways with last year’s leading scorer Azaad Liadi. 

Joining Huntsville for its MLS NEXT Pro season will be defenders Kessy Coulibaly and Tomás Ritondale, midfielders Patrick Amarh and Sergi Oriol, and forwards Ronald Alexis Cerritos and Maximus Ekk.

“These players all have high ceilings and instantly add valuable experience to our club,” said Head Coach Jack Collison. “We believe each of these individuals will help us build on past success and contribute valuable minutes toward our goal of excelling at an attacking brand of soccer, making the playoffs, and developing a deep pipeline of talent for the  (Nashville Soccer Club).” 

The additions expand Huntsville City FC’s international footprint which includes returning players from the U.S., Canada, Haiti, and the United Kingdom.

With the new signings, there are now 10 players under contract for Huntsville City FC for the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season. The roster will be bolstered throughout the season by players under contract with parent club Nashville SC.

Nashville’s first homegrown player Adem Sipić, 2023 MLS SuperDraft 11th overall pick Joey Skinner, Leagues Cup star Elliot Panicco, and NSC’s all-time assist leader Randall Leal are just some of the players who have previously come down from the parent club to play for Huntsville City FC.

The first chance to see the new signings in action will be at the inaugural “Huntsville City FC Blastoff Battle” invitational at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium. More information about the invitational and purchasing tickets can be found here.

Season tickets are available at MLSNextPro.com/HuntsvilleCityFC/Tickets or by calling 256-864-6426, ext. 2.

A breakdown of each new signing

• Kessy Coulibaly
  Position: Defender
  Height: 6’7”
  Weight: 185
  Birthdate: Aug. 16, 2002
  Age: 21
  Birthplace: Perpignan, France
  Last Club: MFK Vyskov (Fortuna Narodni Liga)
  Bio: Coulibaly joins HCFC after spending time with MFK Vyskov of the Czech Republic’s Fortuna Narodni Liga, where he made 13 appearances for the club. The French defender previously played in his home country with Toulouse B and FC Sochaux B where he made 23 appearances and scored two goals.
• Tomás Ritondale
  Position: Defender
  Height: 5’9”
  Weight: 156
  Birthdate: April 16, 2002
  Age: 21
  Birthplace: Miami, FL
  Last Club: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (USL Championship)
  Bio: Ritondale joins Huntsville City FC after playing with former USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. The defender made 26 appearances with the club, recording two assists in more than 1,200 minutes played.
• Patrick Amarh
  Position: Midfielder
  Height: 5’10”
  Weight: 165
  Birthdate: Nov. 13, 2002
  Age: 21
  Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
  Last Club: Inter Allies FC (Ghana Premier League)
  Bio: Amarh comes to Huntsville from the Ghana Premier League, playing for Inter Allies FC where he made four appearances. The midfielder also spent time in the United Arab Emirates on loan for Elite Falcons FC.
• Sergi Oriol
  Position: Midfielder
  Height: 5’11”
  Weight: 172
  Birthdate: April 24, 2004
  Age: 19
  Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
  Last Club: UA Horta (Lliga Elit)
  Bio: Oriol joins Huntsville after making six appearances for UA Horta of Spain’s Lliga Elit, where he scored two goals in five starts. Before then, he spent two seasons on La Nucia Sub 19, where he made 52 appearances and scored four goals.
• Ronald Alexis Cerritos
  Position: Forward
  Height: 5’11”
  Weight: 172
  Birthdate: Oct. 2, 2000
  Age: 23
  Birthplace: Santa Clara, Calif.
  Last Club: Central Valley Fuego FC (USL League One)
  Bio: Cerritos comes to Huntsville after spending the last two seasons with USL League One’s Central Valley Fuego FC. The forward made 51 appearances, scoring 10 goals and recording seven assists in more than 3,500 minutes played between USL League One and U.S. Open Cup.
• Maximus Ekk
  Position: Forward
  Height: 5’10”
  Weight: 181
  Birthdate: Aug. 28, 2005
  Age: 18
  Birthplace: Hanford, Calif.
  Last Club: Central Valley Fuego FC (USL League One)
  Bio: Ekk comes to Huntsville after spending time with Central Valley Fuego FC. The forward scored two goals in 11 appearances with the USL League One side, while also playing with the team’s academy squad.

Roster as of Monday

• Defenders: Fernando Ciceron, Kessy Coulibaly, and Tomás Ritondal
• Midfielders: Patrick Amarh, Jonathan Bolaños, Isaiah Johnston, Sergi Oriol, and Ollie Wright
• Forwards: Ronald Alexis Cerritos and Maximus Ekk