The New York Red Bulls have announced the signing of Ugandan midfielder Steven Sserwadda to a Major League Soccer (MLS) contract, the club announced Saturday on their website.
Sserwadda, according to an official statement from the club, will now occupy an international spot on the Red Bulls roster.
Sserwadda, 19, is in his second year with New York Red Bulls II and has made 14 USL Championship appearances for the club. He has played in 10 games this season and has logged 862 minutes played.
“Steven is a dynamic young player that we have seen develop during his time with New York Red Bulls II and we are excited to add him to our roster,” said New York Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett.
“In his time with the club, we have seen the promising qualities he possesses, and we are looking forward to having him on the field with us,” the sporting director added.
The former KCCA Football Club youngster has featured for all levels of Ugandan National Football teams, where he has made three appearances and totaled 120 minutes played for the Ugandan Senior National Team.
He made his senior national team debut on March 25 against Tajikistan.
“What we’ve seen from Steven over the last couple months has been very exciting,” Head Coach Gerhard Struber was quoted on the club’s official website.
“He fits into our style of play, and we have seen that in his appearances over the last month and believe that he can succeed at the MLS level.”
Previously, Sserwadda had joined the New York Red Bulls on a series of short-term loans over the last month. He made his first team debut in the club’s Quarterfinal matchup of the U.S. Open Cup against New York City FC and made his MLS debut on July 30 against Atlanta United FC.
He now becomes the second Ugandan to sign a major contract for the Red Bulls senior team after Ibrahim Sekagya, who played as a central defender for the club between 2013 and 2014.
Sekagya was recently announced as the interim coach of the MLS club and several reports suggest that he played a huge part in Sserwadda’s signing.
