Huntsville City FC sign 10 players to inaugural roster

Huntsville City FC announced the signing of 10 new players on Monday for their inaugural season in MLS NEXT Pro. The new additions join Isaiah Johnston on Nashville SC’s reserve team roster ahead of their season kicking off in the spring.

Defenders Chrisnovic N’sa, Josh Drack, Perrin Barnes, and Cyrus Rad, midfielders Jonathan Bolanos, Danny Griffin, and Ollie Wright, and forward Azaad Liadi have all signed to Huntsville. Midfielder Nick Law and goalkeeper John Berner have also signed in dual player-coach roles.

From the press release:

Perrine Barnes

Position: Defender 
Height: 5-11 
Weight: 170   
Birthdate: March 10, 2021  
Age: 21 
Birthplace: Aurora, Illinois 
Last club: Butler University (NCAA) 
Bio: Barnes joins HCFC after appearing in every match for Butler in his collegiate career (69) and being selected to the BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament Team his senior year. As a Junior, Butler anchored a Bulldog backline that allowed just 20 goals in 19 matches

John Berner

Position: Goalkeeper / Goalkeeper Coach  
Height: 6-3 
Weight: 201   
Birthdate: Feb. 14, 1991 
Age: 31 
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri  
Last club: Memphis 901 FC (USL Championship) 
Bio: Berner was originally selected by the Colorado Rapids as the 35^th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas. Berner made a total of 60 appearances in his senior career, 39 of those with Charlotte Independence. Berner will serve in a player/coach role.

Jonathan Bolanos

Position: Midfielder    
Height: 5-10   
Weight: 146   
Birthdate: May 20, 1998 
Age: 24 
Birthplace: Miramar, Florida 
Last club: Richmond Kickers (USL League One) 
Bio: Bolanos joins HCFC after spending three seasons with the Richmond Kickers where the midfielder made 65 total appearances. Bolanos tallied 13 goals and 13 assists in his three seasons in Richmond and was a 2022 Most Valuable Player Finalist.

Josh Drack

Position: Defender 
Height: 5-8 
Weight: 152 
Birthdate: Sept. 22, 1999 
Age: 23 
Birthplace: Chandler, Arizona  
Last club: LA Galaxy II (MLS Next Pro) 
Bio: Drack made 52 appearances for LA Galaxy II after being drafted by the LA Galaxy in the first round of the 2021 MLS Superdraft, presented by adidas. During his time at LA Galaxy II he recorded five goals and 11 assists as a defender.

Danny Griffin

Position: Midfielder    
Height: 5-9 
Weight: 165 
Birthdate: July 14, 1998 
Age: 24
Birthplace: Wethersfield, Conn. 
Last club: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Championship) 
Bio: Griffin set the standard for consistency as a member of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds appearing in every regular season match for the club since joining in 2020 (82). Griffin led the Riverhounds to a 44W-21L-17D record.  

Nick Law

Position: Midfielder / Player-Coach  
Height: 5-10 
Weight: 158 
Birthdate: March 29, 1988 
Age: 34 
Birthplace: Plymouth, England     
Last club: Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)  
Bio: Law grew up overseas in the Sheffield United Academy where he would go on to debut in the English Premier League on Nov. 4, 2006. Law’s biggest leap while playing overseas came from 2013-16 as a member of Rangers FC in the Scottish Premiership where he scored 20 goals in 86 appearances. Law came to the States in 2021 and has appeared in 60 matches in the USL Championship in that span. He will also serve in a player/coach capacity.

Azaad Liadi

Position: Forward 
Height: 6-1 
Weight: 185 
Birthdate: May 14, 1998 
Age: 24 
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan   
Last club: Loudoun United FC (USL Championship) 
Bio: Liadi joins Huntsville City FC after a season with Loudon United FC where he made 24 appearances. Prior to joining the USL Championship, Liadi spent two seasons in USL League One where he scored 10 goals and recorded 13 assists. 

Chrisnovic N’Sa

Position: Defender 
Height: 6-0 
Weight: 170 
Birthdate: Jan. 28, 1999 
Age: 23 
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec 
Last club: York United (Canadian Premier League) 
Bio: N’sa joins HCFC after spending three seasons in the Canadian Premier League. The last two seasons N’sa played for York United, teammates with the first-ever signing in HCFC history Isaiah Johnston.  The past two campaigns saw N’sa record 52 appearances on the right side of the pitch.  

Cyrus Rad

Position: Defender  
Height: 6-0 
Weight: 181 
Birthdate: July 10, 1999 
Age: 23 
Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina    
Last club: Forward Madison FC (USL League One) 
Bio: Rad appeared in 40 matches for Forward Madison in USL League One over the past two seasons. The defender recorded six assists in his time with Forward Madison, including five this past season.   

Ollie Wright

Position: Midfielder  
Height: 5-10 
Weight: 170 
Birthdate: March 1, 1999 
Age: 23 
Birthplace: London, England  
Last club: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (USL Championship)  
Bio: Wright joins HCFC after a two-year stint in the Lone Star State playing for San Antonio FC and the Rio Grande Valley Fc Toros where he made 18 appearances.  

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

Twitter