:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63113029/loudoun.0.png)
A Costa Rica media outlet reports that Loudoun United will be acquiring three international players in the near future: forward Orlando Sinclair from Saprissa, Jack-Jean Baptiste, a defensive midfielder from Motagua, and Ariel Fontanini from the Herediano youth system. Sinclair’s move is a one-year loan, and presumably the other two players have similar deals (Sinclair and Fontanini are represented by former D.C. United player and current agent Kurt Morsink).
The 20-year-old Sinclair is in his first season with La S following appearances in their youth program, and while he has not played much thus far this season in the Primera, his only appearance was as a substitute for eight minutes (and scoring a goal) against Universidad de Costa Rica. Sinclair would be the third member of Saprissa to transfer to the D.C. organization in the last 15 months, following Ulises Segura in December 2017 and Joseph Mora in March 2018.
3/1/2019 Update: Loudoun has confirmed the signing of Sinclair, who will take up an international roster spot. That brings LUFC up to 9 players on USL contracts, meaning that they need to sign 3 more players to comply with USL Championship roster rules.
The 19-year-old Baptiste has played 9 games since his first team debut last February. Baptiste is of Honduran and Haitian descent, but has appeared for Honduras at the junior level several times, most recently in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship last November.
Fontanini is a bit of a mystery; apparently he does exist and is in the Herediano pipeline, though is not listed on the first team roster, and we don’t know what position he plays. Were I to guess based on Loudoun’s roster as we know it, he’d be an outside midfielder or forward (this is probably wrong).
The players would be the third, fourth and fifth international players for Loudoun (next to the already signed Omar Campos and Harri Hawkins; teams are allowed a maximum of seven and like in MLS, international roster spots are traceable. Loudoun kicks their season off March 9 at Nashville SC.