The defending USL Championship title holders Orange County SC have announced the permanent transfer of Haitian forward Ronaldo Damus to GIF Sundsvall in the Allsvenskan, the top division in Sweden, pending league and federation approval.
“I’m very thankful to Orange County SC for all of the opportunities they have given me to help me improve my skills on and off the pitch,” Damus said. “To be given the chance to make my professional debut and win a championship last year along with winning the MVP, it was more than I can imagine. Now transferring to play in Europe is a dream come true. Those moments will never be forgotten, but will always be used as a tool for the future while playing on the stage in Europe.”
Damus, 22, was a key piece in helping OCSC to win the 2021 USL Championship Final, the first in club history. He signed for OCSC ahead of the 2021 USL Championship season and appeared in 31 matches last season, scoring a team-high 14 goals in the regular season and 18 goals in all competitions.
During OCSC’s playoff run, Damus scored four of the club’s five goals from open play, including a first half brace in the USL Championship Final, earning him MVP honors. He also spent three weeks away from the club in the summer to represent Haiti in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying and final tournament.
Located on the northeastern coast of Sweden, GIF Sundsvall was recently promoted to Sweden’s highest tier of soccer and already signed 2021 USL Championship Defender of the Year Forrest Lasso in the offseason to bolster its defense. Now, with Damus’s addition, Sundsvall fortifies its offense. Similar to the North American soccer calendar, the Allsvenskan season runs from spring to fall, with Matchday 1 set to kickoff on April 2.
“Transferring Ronaldo to GIF Sundsvall in the Allsvenskan, the top division in Sweden is another landmark moment for Orange County SC,” President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Oliver Wyss said. “Ronaldo will definitely be missed on the field but his development is a credit to the entire club, technical staff and his teammates. We have dual ambition of winning Championships and developing young players in Orange County and Ronaldo’s success is the perfect proof of concept. We are excited for Ronaldo to have the opportunity to showcase his talent in Europe and he will always be remembered as an Orange County great.”
Damus joined Orange County with the stated goal of showcasing his talent and developing under the OCSC coaching staff’s direction in order to put himself in the best position to move to the next level with a first division European club. He becomes the latest talented young player to demonstrate their potential in a professional environment with OCSC and earn a transfer move.
“I am thrilled that OCSC has once again successfully collaborated with a young, ambitious player to help him achieve his goal of playing first division soccer in Europe,” OCSC owner and CEO James Keston said. “As a fan of OCSC, I am disappointed to see Ronaldo leave us; but with exceptional young talents representing the OCSC first team, and a pipeline of exceptional youths coming up fast on our OCSC reserve team, OCSC will continue to deliver exciting young talent to the transfer market for years to come.”
In 2020, OCSC completed the first ever transfer with international partner club Rangers FC of Glasgow, with young goalkeeper Aaron Cervantes making the move to Scotland. Cervantes signed with OCSC in 2018 after playing youth soccer in Southern California and making his professional debut in goal just days after his 17th birthday with OCSC.
Prior to Cervantes’s transfer, Maryland native Bryang Kayo joined OCSC in 2019 and completed a move to Vfl Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga. During this offseason, OCSC transferred Jack Imperato to Real Monarchs in MLS Next Pro after coming to Orange County from Villarreal CF in La Liga.
On OCSC’s 2022 roster, defender Kobi Henry and midfielder Francis Jacobs–both 17-years-old–highlight the ongoing progression of the club’s Pathway to Professional model.
Henry, who made his professional debut with OCSC at 16-years-old, played an important role in the club’s defensive unit during the tailend of last season. It earned Henry a call-up to the USMNT U20 squad for the Revelations Cup, followed by his first senior team call-up at the USMNT annual December camp and friendly. Jacobs, who made his professional debut with the club at 14 years old, has played numerous games with Rangers FC, including joining their U16 team in the prestigious 2020 Alkass Cup in Dubai.
Meanwhile, newcomers like 19-year-old defender Alex Villanueva left the Seattle Sounders FC organization and 18-year-old forward Korede Osundina signed from Barcelona Academy USA looking to build their professional careers with OCSC along with their sights on achieving their dreams of playing at the highest level.
“OCSC’s commitment to its young players has always been that we will challenge them in a structured environment made up of experienced professional coaches and players,” Keston said. “And give them the tools and instruction to help them improve, and actively help them to achieve a move to the highest levels of professional soccer around the world.”
Prior to OCSC, Damus starred for former USL League One side North Texas SC, netting 21 goals in 35 appearances over two seasons. In 2019, he was the USL League One’s Golden Boot winner and a part of the title-winning team alongside current FC Augsburg forward Ricardo Pepi. Damus is the only player ever to win both USL League One and USL Championship titles.
Per club policy, the terms of this deal will not be disclosed.