Alvas Powell shakes off release to rejoin FC Cincinnati
Published:Sunday | December 19, 2021 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
AFTER A two-year absence, national defender Alvas Powell will make a return to Major League Soccer (MLS) club FC Cincinnati.
Powell, 27, signed with the club on Friday via free agency to a one-year deal, with an option for the 2023 season. The move brings to a close his six-month stint with the Philadelphia Union, the team he signed with in June after training with the club for two months.
Powell will have familiarity with the team, having been a part of Cincinnati’s 2019 inaugural season, thanks to a trade with the Portland Timbers, a club he spent five years with, highlighted by their MLS Cup title win in 2015. He would only make 13 appearances for Cincinnati in their debut season. He would then play for David Beckham’s franchise Inter Miami in 2020 before joining Sudanese club Al-Hilal last January. He would leave in March, citing difficulties adjusting to the environment
Club General Manager Chris Albright said that his technical ability and vast experience in title-contending environments will be beneficial to a team that has finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference since their launch.
Defensive mentality
“We’re excited to bring Alvas to Cincinnati. His defensive mentality, physicality and experience in winning cultures will be a valuable addition to our group,” Albright told the club website.
Not only will Powell be in familiar surroundings, but he will also be working again with former Philadelphia Union assistant Pat Noonan, now the FC Cincinnati head coach. Noonan said his addition will be a boost to the squad given that he has a clear understanding of the style of play he wants to bring to the club.
“Having worked with Alvas last season, his work ethic and his team-first mentality were apparent from day one,” Noonan told the club website.
“He understands the clear expectations we have and will be a great fit for how we want to play.”
Powell made seven appearances for the Union this season which included two MLS play-off games. His season also saw him miss five weeks because of a hamstring injury suffered while on World Cup qualifying duty with the national senior team. He helped the team advance to the Eastern Conference championship this season but was unable to play as he and national teammates Andre Blake and Cory Burke were placed in mandated COVID-19 quarantine per the MLS health and safety protocols. They had to watch from home as the Union were beaten by eventual 2021 MLS Cup champions New York City FC.
FC Cincinnati will begin their fourth season in the MLS next February.