FC Cincinnati have extended the loan of forward Franko Kovačević (pronounced koh-VAH-chuh-vitch) from TSG Hoffenheim.
Kovačević made one start for the Orange and Blue last season, and came off the bench during FC Cincinnati’s match against the Colorado Rapids on June 19. He was named to the active roster prior to that match after being on the injured list (hamstring).
“We’re happy Franko is staying,’’ said FC Cincinnati General Manager Gerard Nijkamp. "We didn’t see enough from him since he suffered an injury, so extending his loan gives us more time to evaluate him. This will give him an opportunity to show himself to potentially earn some minutes in matches, but he needs to prove himself to Jaap Stam.”
Kovačević has made 48 career appearances, including 23 starts, scoring seven goals and adding one assist in four professional seasons in Croatia and Germany. He joined FC Cincinnati after playing for HNK Hajduk Split (2017-19), NK Rudeš (2019) and TSG Hoffenheim II (2019-20).\
The forward made his professional debut for Croatian side Hajduk Split in a UEFA Europa League fourth-round match against Premier League team Everton on Aug. 24, 2017. He went on to make a combined 24 appearances, including eight starts, for Hajduk Split and Hajduk Split II from 2017-19. He scored his first professional goal with Hajduk Split II at NK Varazdin on Sept. 15, 2018.
FC Cincinnati will return to action this weekend when the club visits Houston. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the game will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on ESPN1530, streamed regionally on fccincinnati.com/stream, out of market on ESPN+, while an audio stream will be available via the iHeartRadio app.
