CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati has expanded its scouting staff ahead of its inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2019, adding Jorge Alvial, Hunter Freeman and Doug Elder to the group.
Alvial is joining FCC as the Head of Scouting, where he will work under Technical Director Luke Sassano to identify and evaluate potential players for the first team. Alvial’s focus will be in the international marketplace, where he will work with FCC’s scouting network in Europe, Central and South America.
Freeman joins FCC as a Domestic Scout, where he will focus on the U.S. professional and amateur landscape. Elder joins the Orange and Blue as a Regional Scout and will focus on the U.S. college and amateur leagues.
“We’re excited to bring Jorge, Hunter, and Doug to FC Cincinnati,” Sassano said. “Jorge has a tremendous track record and an extensive scouting network that has aided in his ability to identify elite talent and professional players at the highest level of world football. Between his Premier League experience and his work in and familiarity with MLS, we believe he’ll he a key asset to us as we continue to build our first-team roster.
“I’ve known Hunter for years and he has always had a keen soccer mind. His experience playing in MLS on some top teams will serve him very well in this new role, and we look forward to his immediate impact within our scouting department. As we build out our regional network of scouts, we are happy to add Doug where his experience and strong network of contacts throughout the country will be helpful as we prepare for the upcoming MLS draft,” Sassano said.
The FC Cincinnati scouting staff will work together – both in person and remotely – to help evaluate and provide support to the FCC technical staff as it builds and maintains its MLS roster.
“We’re thrilled to bring these professionals together in our scouting department,” head coach Alan Koch said. “We’ve done a lot of work in preparation of building our MLS roster, but adding these gentlemen to our staff will be an immense asset as we move fully into crafting our first team for 2019 and beyond.”
Jorge Alvial, Head of Scouting
Jorge Alvial comes to FC Cincinnati having most recently served as an international scout for Manchester United’s first team, focusing on North America since 2016. He has served Man United under both Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
He also had a 10-season spell as Chelsea Football Club’s chief scout in North, South and Central America, where he managed a staff of four assistant scouts and fostered a region-wide network of clubs in the Americas from 2006 through 2015. At Chelsea, he worked under managers Mourinho, Andre Villas-Boas, Carlo Ancelotti, Gus Hiddink, Avram Grant and Luiz Scolari.
Between his EPL stints, Alvial was the Director of Scouting for Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta United FC in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Included was working with Atlanta United FC ahead of its first MLS season of 2017. With his stints with both clubs, Alvial helped establish worldwide scouting networks and helped develop the clubs’ evaluation processes.
Hunter Freeman, Scout
Hunter Freeman closed his 13-year professional playing career earlier this year. During his career as a defender, he featured for the Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and Houston Dynamo in MLS, IK Start in Norway and the New York Cosmos and Miami FC in the NASL. He helped Houston advance to MLS Cup 2011, and in the NASL, was part of four championship teams with New York and Miami. In 2014, he was voted both the NASL player of the year and the NASL defender of the year.
Freeman was also a member of the U.S. Under-20 and Under-23 National Teams in his career. While playing, Freeman spent considerable time coaching and training youth soccer players in his time away from the field.
Freeman attended Virginia for two seasons, helping the Cavaliers win a pair of ACC Championships, before leaving school early as part of the first-ever Generation adidas class in MLS and being drafted sixth overall by Colorado in 2005. Freeman finished his degree requirements through Southern New Hampshire University in 2012, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in communications.
Doug Elder, Regional Scout
Doug Elder has 30-plus year career coaching youth and amateur players in the United States, most recently as the head coach at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, since 2000.
At Midwestern State, Elder has coached 27 All-American and 75 All-Region players, including seven who went on to professional careers out of the NCAA Division II school. He is a seven-time regional coach of the year, and ranks 12th all-time among winningest coaches with an .800 winning percentage (274-56-33). Elder has led the Mustangs to 13 NCAA Division II Tournaments, including two Final Four appearances.
The top overall seed in the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs, FC Cincinnati (23-3-8, 77 pts.) has earned the right to host every round it plays at home at Nippert Stadium, up to and including the USL Cup Championship. The Orange and Blue begin their quest for the 2018 USL Cup Championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, when the team hosts eighth-seeded Nashville SC (12-9-13, 49 pts.) at Nippert Stadium. The game will be televised on WSTR 64, streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the radio on WSAI 1360 AM. Tickets are on sale now.
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. For more information about FC Cincinnati tickets - including 2018 USL Cup Playoffs tickets - call 513-977-KICK (5425) or visit fccincinnati.com/tickets.
