FC Cincinnati 2 have signed defender Giovanni Marioni ahead of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, the club announced today. Per club policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Marioni, 18, signs his first professional contract with the Orange and Blue. Marioni arrives in Cincinnati from the Chicago Fire FC Academy where he represented Fire youth teams beginning in May of 2023.
While with the Fire Academy, Marioni appeared for the club’s MLS NEXT Pro team, Chicago Fire FC II, where he made nine appearances with two starts during the 2024 season.
Marioni made his Fire II debut in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, playing 90 minutes in a 6-0 win against USL League Two side Chicago City SC. Marioni forced an own goal from Chicago City’s defense to open the scoring for Fire II and scored the team’s second in first half stoppage time.
