Orlando City made what they hope will prove to be another big splash on Monday, signing 19-year-old Honduran international striker Bryan Róchez as the club’s second Designated Player.
Róchez spent the first two years of his professional career at Honduran Primera club Real España, scoring 29 goals in 59 matches after signing with the club in 2012. He received his first call-up to the Honduras senior national team this year and appeared in four games for Los Catrachos at the Copa Centroamericano in September.
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“We’re extremely delighted that Bryan is joining us for the 2015 season,” Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath said in a statement on the club’s website. “He’s a player that we’ve had our eyes on for quite some time now, as we believe that he has the ability to contribute to the team straight away."
Róchez joins former World Player of the Year Kaka as Designated Players for Orlando City. He joins the Lions just one week after the club traded for MLS veterans Aurelien Collin, Tally Hall and Amobi Okugo.
Orlando added several other players in last Wednesday’s Expansion Draft, notably selecting ex-Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and former US international defender Heath Pearce.
The Lions are also reportedly on the verge of signing US international midfielder Brek Shea from English Premier League club Stoke City. Shea, who played five years for FC Dallas before moving to Stoke in January 2013, briefly trained with Orlando City during the summer.
