FC Cincinnati have acquired Homegrown midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. (pronounced et-EEE-ehn) on loan from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for FCC’s 2020 third-round SuperDraft selection that the club acquired last week from the Chicago Fire as part of the Andrew Gutman acquisition.
The deal for Etienne was completed ahead of the close of the MLS secondary transfer window yesterday. The deal also includes an option for Cincinnati to purchase following the loan’s expiration at the end of 2019 MLS season.
Etienne, 22, joins FC Cincinnati after playing five professional seasons in the New York Red Bulls organization (2015-19). In the current MLS season, Etienne has made 11 appearances, including five starts, has scored one goal and added one assist.
“We’re excited with the opportunity to add Derrick to our organization,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Gerard Nijkamp said. “He fits the profile of a player that we’ve been looking to add at the winger position and we believe he’ll strengthen that position group. We look forward to welcoming him to Cincinnati and seeing him compete within our squad.”
The Paterson, N.J., native has made a combined 137 appearances, including 77 starts, has scored 21 goals and added nine assists in five professional seasons with New York Red Bulls and New York Red Bulls II. Additionally, he has earned 17 caps with the Haiti national team dating back to 2016.
Etienne’s professional career began in 2015 when he made his professional debut for New York Red Bulls II on March 28, 2015. He went on to make 15 appearances, score three goals and add two assists across all competitions for the USL Championship side in his first professional season. Following the conclusion of the 2015 season, Etienne signed to the New York Red Bulls as a Homegrown Player on Dec. 21, 2015.
In 2016, Etienne primarily played for New York Red Bulls II, where he made 28 appearances across all competitions and was part of the squad that captured the club’s first-ever USL Cup Championship. The midfielder debuted for the senior team in a Concacaf Champions League group stage match against Antigua GFC on Aug. 4, 2016. He later made his MLS debut in his lone league appearance of the season against D.C. United on Sept. 11, 2016.
Etienne emerged as a squad regular for the Red Bulls in 2017. He made 20 appearances across all competitions and added two assists. He also made eight appearances for New York Red Bulls II and scored one goal.
In 2018, the midfielder set career-high marks in regular-season games played (30), games started (9), goals (5) and minutes played (961). He also made four postseason appearances as the Red Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
FC Cincinnati return to the field this Saturday, Aug. 10, when the team travels to Columbus for the first of two #HellIsReal rivalry games in three weekends. First kick from MAPFRE Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised live on WSTR 64, streamed on FloFC (in-region) and ESPN+ (out-of-region), carried on the radio on WDJO with an audio stream on TuneIn (WDJO) and fccincinnati.com.
FC Cincinnati’s next home game will come on Saturday, Aug.17 when the club hosts New York City FC at 7:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium to cap the club’s special “Salute to Service” campaign. The match will be televised locally on WSTR Star64, streamed regionally on FloFC, out of market on ESPN+ and carried on the radio on WDJO, while an audio stream will be available on the TuneIn app and fccincinnati.com. Tickets for the game are on sale to the general public at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK). Pick-Six mini plans, individual-game tickets and group options are on sale for all remaining games.
Transaction: FC Cincinnati acquire midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. on loan from the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 7, 2019.
DERRICK ETIENNE JR.
Pronunciation: ett-EEE-ehn
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-10
Weight: 160
Birthdate: Nov. 25, 1996
Birthplace: Richmond, Va.
Hometown: Paterson, NJ.
Last Club: New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Nationality: Haiti, United States
MLS Roster Status: Homegrown Player
Twitter: @detienne_10
How Acquired: On loan from New York Red Bulls (MLS) on Aug. 7, 2019
