Benji Michel has gone south for the winter, or at least for part of it.
Orlando City SC's promising Homegrown striker has traveled to Brazil for an offseason training stint with Athletico Paranaense, a partner club of OCSC’s, according to a report from Paranaense watcher Juliano Lorenz Oscar and a social-media post spotted by Lions-centric podcast The Roar last week and confirmed by the club on Monday.
The 22-year-old Haitian-American dual national put together a solid rookie season after signing his HGP deal on New Year’s Eve last year, scoring five goals and one assist in 17 MLS appearances (nine starts). His displays earned the attention of the Haiti national team as well as a training camp invite from US Under-23 national team coach Jason Kreis.
Michel is the latest player to move between Orlando and Paranaense, with several exchanges in both directions having taken place since they announced their affiliation in November 2016.
