Former Real Salt Lake striker Yura Movsisyan is on the move again in the Russian Premier League, completing a €7.5 million ($9.7 million) transfer from FC Krasnodar to Spartak Moscow, his agent informed MLSsoccer.com late on Friday night.
The move was later confirmed on FCKrasnodar.ru.
“I always said that my dream is to play in a top club,” Movsisyan said. “Spartak are the most titled club in Russia, who have many fans not only in Russia, but abroad as well. I hope that the transfer to the Red-and-Whites will become an important step in my football career.”
Movsisyan, 25, will join Spartak in January, when the transfer window opens. He is currently tied for second in the league's scoring list, with 9 goals in 13 appearances for Krasnodar.
Spartak, coached by Valery Karpin, have won 21 top-flight national titles and 13 domestic cups; however, they have failed to capture any silverware since the 2003 Russian Cup. They currently sit in eighth place in the RPL table. This week, they were bounced from the UEFA Champions League after a 2-1 loss to Celtic in the clubs' final group-stage match.
Movsisyan started his professional career in 2006, when he was drafted fourth overall by Kansas City after spending one year at Pasadena City College. In 2007, he was traded to RSL, for whom he scored 15 goals in 53 appearances and helped lead the club to the MLS Cup 2009 trophy.
Out of contract after the 2009 season, he signed with Danish side Randers, where his success – including 14 goals in all competitions in the first half of the 2010-11 season – led to a €2 million ($2.5 million) move to Krasnodar in 2011. He has been the main scoring threat for Krasnodar ever since, notching 23 goals in 50 league appearances.
“FC Krasnodar will live forever in my heart. I came to the team when we were just getting ready to debut in the Russian Premier League, and I think we were able to win the sympathy of fans with our football, making everybody in the country reckon with us,” Movsisyan added.
Born in Azerbaijan to Armenian parents, Movsisyan moved to the US at an early age. He was on track for US eligibility, but chose to play for Armenia before his citizenship process was completed. He eventually made his international debut against iran in August 2010. During UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, he scored four goals and added five assists, but Armenia fell short of qualifying for their first-ever major international tournament.
