NYCFC sign young scorer, draft goalie
Perhaps New York City FC found someone besides David Villa who actually can score.
The club announced it has found a backup option for Villa with Norwegian international striker Jo Inge Berget, who joined NYCFC on a free transfer Friday.
Berget, 27, previously played at Malmo FF in Sweden’s Allsvenskan for the past three seasons, along with another new NYCFC signing, Anton Tinnerholm.
“When New York comes in for you, it’s a big deal — it’s a nice city and it’s a good club. For me and my family, it was an easy decision in the end,” Berget told the team’s website.
NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said Berget will make an impact on both sides of the ball, but hopefully, his European goalscoring pedigree translates to MLS where his size (6-foot-1) can give NYCFC a different look late in games.
“We lacked [size] in attacking areas and, at times in certain games, you need that component to try and handle the more physical teams and to be able to create chances in different ways,” Reyna said.
While head coach Patrick Vieira said Berget, who led Malmo with 10 goals last season, can play multiple positions, including centrally and wide at forward, he said he hopes this ends the team’s search for a reliable option behind Villa.
Berget becomes NYCFC’s seventh signing this offseason, joining Cedric Hountondji, Jesus Medina, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Brad Stuver, Ismael Tajouri and Tinnerholm.
NYCFC opted for something other than offense in the MLS SuperDraft.
The club selected Virginia goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell at No. 19 in the first round Friday.
Caldwell, 21, was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the draft after starring in four years at Virginia. He’s been the starter at UVA since 2015, where he anchored one of the nation’s best college soccer teams.
NYCFC targeted defense in the second round, selecting AJ Paterson out of Wright State with the 42nd pick.
The Red Bulls selected Duke forward Brian White with their first-round pick (16th overall). In the second round, they took Akron defender Niko de Vera and Wisconsin forward Tom Barlow.