FC Cincinnati signs first Homegrown player

Goalkeeper Beckham Sunderland is the first player to join FC Cincinnati via a Homegrown deal, the club announced on Wednesday. Sunderland has been added to the team's roster and is available for selection through the remainder of the 2020 season.

“We are happy to be able to sign our first FC Cincinnati Academy product to a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player,” General Manager Gerard Nijkamp said in a statement. “We decided to keep Beckham with our first-team group this year in training as opposed to with our academy to be able to make a better assessment of him. Based on his performance and his ability to adapt to the professional environment, we feel he has earned an opportunity within our roster.”

Making history! #FCCincy have signed our first Homegrown Player, Beckham Sunderland. Welcome to the Big Leagues, @becksdaoy!

📰: https://t.co/hZfpEI2lrK pic.twitter.com/Q27KfyQH39

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) October 14, 2020

The 17-year-old joined the FC Cincinnati Academy for the 2019-20 season. Prior to that, he had played for the Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire academies.

Sunderland's father Larry is the FC Cincinnati Academy Director. The young goalkeeper had previously committed to play soccer at Navy.