Crew 2 signs four new players to inaugural roster

The roster construction for Crew 2, the Columbus Crew reserve team set to debut in 2022, continues. After the club announced its first Crew 2 signing, Crew Academy midfielder Aidan Wolf, earlier this month, the Black & Gold made four more additions to the second-team roster on Friday.

Midfielders Isaac Angking, Jay Tee Kamara and Michael Vang and forward Noah Fuson all secured MLS Next Pro contracts and will join the first-ever Crew 2 roster. These contracts are pending the league and federation approval and Kamara must receive his ITC and work authorization. The terms of the contract, as is typically the case, were not disclosed.

Angking is a Puerto Rican central midfielder who has spent his professional career as part of the New England Revolution organization, beginning as a youth player. The Providence, Rhode Island native joined the Revolution team in 2015 when he was 14. He became the club’s fourth Homegrown player in 2018, but never appeared for the first team, going on loan to USL Championship sides Charlotte Independence and Hartford Athletic and spending time playing for Revolution II.

The 22 year old has international experience as well, playing six times for the Puerto Rico National Team after making his debut in 2021 and scoring two goals in that time.

Kamara, 19, is a Sierra Leonean midfielder who just spent his first professional season as part of Louisville City FC of the USL Championship, but went on loan to USL League one side North Carolina FC. With North Carolina, Kamara made 21 appearances, scoring five goals and registering four assists.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew

Vang, the third and, at 21, oldest midfield addition for Crew, spent the last two seasons playing for Forward Madison of the USL League One Championship. In that time, Vang scored four goals and recorded two assists. The Saint Paul, Minnesota native began his professional career in 2018 with Portuguese side S.U. 1º Dezembro, playing for their Under-19 team for two years.

Fuson will join Vang in coming to Crew 2 from Forward Madison, where he played striker for the Flamingos since 2020. The Los Angeles native made 33 appearances for Forward Madison over the last two seasons after coming from the i2i International Soccer Academy.

MLS NEXT Pro is expected to begin its first season this March, with Crew 2 as one of the inaugural teams in the reserve league. Crew 2 will help serve as the final gap between a player joining the Crew Academy’s youth levels and playing for the senior team in MLS. Unlike Wolf, Angking, Kamara, Vang and Fuson didn’t come through the Crew Academy, but have a chance to make their mark and continue their careers as part of the Black & Gold organization in MLS Next.

Crew 2 will play the team’s home matches at historic Crew Stadium. On Jan. 28, the Black & Gold announced the club’s first-ever head coach, Laurent Courtois. Earlier this month, the rest of the team’s coaching and support staff were announced.

There will be more roster announcements are expected for Crew 2 in the coming weeks as the team continues to fill out its team for the season. Currently, the team is in the preseason at the OhioHealth Performance Center.