2015 USL MVP joins club in advance of 2016 Fall Season; Club also announces mutual parting of ways with midfielder Alex Pérez
The Carolina RailHawks announced today they have acquired prolific forward Matt Fondy. Fondy, the 2015 USL MVP and Golden Boot winner, joins from NASL’s Jacksonville Armada FC. Per club policy, further terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“He’s a goal scorer, we brought him in here to help us,” said RailHawks Head Coach Colin Clarke. “We started out the spring season well, but struggled to score goals at the end, so we need to improve on that side of things. Matt became available and we jumped at the chance to try to make it happen. We’re happy that he’s here, he scored a lot of goals last year in USL and I can see from watching him in training why that is. We’re looking forward to him contributing.”
Fondy’s most successful season to date was in 2015, when he set a USL record of 22 goals for Lousiville City FC leading to All-USL first team and USL MVP honors.
The 26-year-old from Foster City, California was a four-year letter-winner at UC Santa Cruz and was named an NSCAA Division III All-American in 2010. Following his collegiate career, Fondy made his professional debut for USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2011 appearing in 22 matches and recording two goals.
After spending the 2012 season with the Los Angeles Blues (USL), Fondy had a two-year stint in Major League Soccer playing for Chivas USA in 2013 and the Chicago Fire in 2014 before returning to the USL.
His impressive credentials earned him a spot on the 2016 NASL Spring Season roster for the Jacksonville Armada FC.
“The RailHawks have a great reputation and history of success.,” Fondy said. “I’m very happy to be a part of it and hope I can help contribute.”
The RailHawks also announced that they have mutually parted ways with Alex Pérez. The Spanish midfielder joined the club during the 2015 Fall Season and proceeded to appear in 15 matches across the Fall Season and the 2016 Spring Season, logging 1,166 minutes and recording two goals and two assists. Having elected to return to his native Spain, citing family issues, and the RailHawks organization wishes him all the best in the continuation of his career.
“I would like to thank the RailHawks organization, the coaching staff, players and fans for all the support during my time here,” Pérez said. “It has been a unique experience and one that I will take with me on to the next step in my career.”
Fondy and the Carolina RaiHawks will travel to Minnesota United to kick off the NASL Fall Season on Saturday, July 2. The team returns home to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, July 9 in the season home opener at 7:30 pm. Tickets to the match can be purchased by calling the box office at 919-459-8144 or online at CarolinaRailHawks.com.
