Here is a brief recap of some notable off-season transfer moves to catch you up on where some NISA players are going next. Player movement has been very slow, but hopefully, we will see more transfer moves and player signings soon. I haven’t seen many signings lately of clubs in USL Championship, USL League One, or MLS NEXT Pro adding NISA players. Pedro Breganholi of BSA Sports Management shared his top free agents, who are still available. His list includes Irvine Zeta FC goalkeeper Mitch North, Savannah Clovers FC center backs Daniel De Leon and Leonel Palma, and NISA veteran Andrew Barrowman. Here is a list of former NISA players moving on to other leagues.
Ian Cerro (Georgia FC)
Former Georgia FC midfielder Ian Cerro will move south to Florida and join FC Naples of USL League One for the 2025 season. The move was announced by the club last month. Cerro played one season for Georgia FC, making 18 appearances across all competitions, and was in the starting XI for all those matches and played 1,620 minutes. His primary role was a playmaker and setting up the attack for Georgia FC throughout their inaugural season in NISA last year. Prior to his time in Atlanta, Cerro played for former USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC in 2023, appearing in 27 matches and recording two goals and two assists. Cerro also played for former NISA club Chattanooga FC in 2022, earning a spot on the NISA All-League Second Team after scoring four goals with two assists in 28 matches across all competitions. He spent the 2021 fall season with former NISA side Chicago House AC, their inaugural season in NISA, scoring three goals in 12 matches.
Last month, on Dec. 23, Cerro announced on Instagram that he decided to take on a new challenge and signed with FC Naples in USL League One.
FC Naples is a new expansion team that will debut in USL League One in two months. The club’s Head Coach is Matt Poland, who used to coach Cerro when he was an assistant coach with Chicago House AC in 2021. Poland became the Head Coach for Chicago House AC after C.J. Brown left for an assistant coaching role with the Chicago Fire, and the club left NISA to join the Midwest Premier League. Cerro gets to reunite with a former coach he knows very well, and with his tactical awareness and playmaking ability to set up scoring chances, he is a massive pickup for FC Naples.
Steven Juncaj (Michigan Stars FC)
Former Michigan Stars FC midfielder Steven Juncaj was on loan with the club from HNK Rijeka last season in NISA. Even though he was only with the Stars for the first half of the season, Juncaj made eight appearances across all competitions, scored one goal, and added one assist with Michigan. In his time with the Stars in NISA, Juncaj has played 62 matches, scoring nine goals and adding 12 assists. He was also part of the squad that won the 2022 NISA championship title. Last July, the Stars announced that their owner, George Juncaj, had purchased NS Mura in Slovenia and that Steven Juncaj would be moving to that club. Steven Juncaj made 11 appearances and scored one goal for NS Nura before the end of the first half of the season in the Prva Liga. On Jan. 6, NS Mura announced that Juncaj has agreed to a move during the winter transfer window to join Austrian Bundesliga side SK Austria Klagenfurt on a free transfer (According to transfermarkt.us). His contract is a one-and-a-half-year deal that runs through June 30, 2026. SK Austria Klagenfurt sits in 10th in the Austrian Bundesliga table. Juncaj could make his league debut when the Austrian Bundesliga returns from its winter break on Sunday, February 9, when SK Austria Klagenfurt takes on Red Bull Salzburg.
Darwin Espinal (Maryland Bobcats FC)
Former Maryland Bobcats FC striker and 2024 NISA Golden Boot winner Darwin Espinal is making the short trip down I-95 to Virginia as he joins USL League One side Richmond Kickers for the 2025 season. The terms of his contract were undisclosed, but Espinal has signed a multi-year contract with the club. Espinal spent three seasons with Maryland from 2022 through 2024. Last season with the Bobcats, he was the club’s leading goalscorer with 13 goals and one assist while making 22 appearances across all competitions. He scored three goals in two matches during their 2024 U.S. Open Cup run. In the 2023 season, Espinal recorded 13 goals and added five assists in 25 matches across all competitions. In his first season in Maryland in 2022, Espinal scored 11 goals with five assists across 22 matches. He played a crucial role during the Bobcats 17-match unbeaten streak last season in NISA and the club won the regular season title, finishing with the best record in the league. Espinal previously played for Detroit City FC, the New York Cosmos, Reno 1868 FC, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Richmond Kickers adding Espinal will be a big boost in their attack. The Kickers finished 8th in the USL League One table last season and made the playoffs, but lost in the opening round to eventual league champions Union Omaha. The club only scored 25 goals last season, finished 11th in the league in goals scored, and their leading goalscorer was Chandler O’Dwyer with six goals.
MASL (2024-2025 Season)
During the off-season, some current and former NISA players play indoor soccer in the Major Arena Soccer League for the 2024-2025 season. The Empire Strykers have a NISA connection featuring five players on the current squad. Their roster includes former LA Force goalkeeper Brandon Gomez, former LA Force midfielder Leopoldo “Polo” Hernandez, and midfielder Cyro Oliveira. The Strykers also have Irvine Zeta FC forwards Harold Hanson and Abdul Mansaray. The Baltimore Blast has former Flower City Union goalkeeper Michael Mejia, Maryland Bobcats FC forward Alioune Diakhate, and winger Kelvin Mwape. Defender Leonel Palma, who played briefly with the Savannah Clovers last season and was previously with Gold Star FC Detroit, is currently playing for the Kansas City Comets. Defender Jake Dengler, who used to play for the Maryland Bobcats FC and South Georgia Tormenta, is playing for the Harrisburg Heat. Dengler just signed a contract to join USL League One expansion side FC Naples for the 2025 season last month.
Besides that, Capo FC has announced its NISA Pro player tryout dates for February, and the Los Angeles Force has announced its 2025 preseason schedule. That’s the latest transfer moves I’ve been able to track down since the 2024 NISA season ended last October. Hopefully, next month will pick up, with more player moves to be announced in February. What are your thoughts on the latest player moves? Let me know in the comments section below. Until then, have a good weekend, and I’ll see you next time.
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