Austin FC make striker signing with Moussa Djitté
After this past weekend’s scoreless home draw with Columbus Crew, Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said his team needed a forward.
Four days later, Austin FC announces the signing of Moussa Djitté. And Djitté is an intriguing strike option at that.
Most recently with Grenoble in France’s Lige 2, Djitté is a proven scorer. The 21-year old is part of the player pool for Senegal’s U23 national team.
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Two years ago, he made the move from Swiss top flite side FC Sion to France. In 60 league matches for Grenoble, all in Ligue 2, Djitté has 15 goals in 60 matches. With FC Sion, he had five goals in 26 matches in his loan season in the Swiss Super League.
If he can find a regular scoring touch in Texas, it would be huge for an expansion side that has shown plenty of promise but has had some difficulty converting chances.
Austin FC is currently out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, a 2-5-4 record putting them on 10 points this season. They have scored six goals this season and conceded 11 times.
Djitté is good in the air and is effective in hold-up play. He combines well in the final third and has the ability to turn quickly and fire on frame. He is active in the penalty area and has a bit of speed as well that, coupled with his movements, makes him difficult for a backline to track.
The deal was announced by Austin FC on Wednesday as a full transfer for the young striker. It is a signing typical of sporting director Claudio Reyna, who has mined the international market for young players with athleticism and upside. Djitté certainly is teeming with potential and projects to become an integral part of the team’s roster.
This week, Austin FC announced that forward Danny Hoesen is out for the season with a hip injury. Austin FC had been counting on Hoesen to carry the scoring load for the organization, even making him the first selection in the expansion draft.
In 311 minutes played this season (five games played, five starts), Hoesen had yet to score but had an assist. Hoesen joined MLS in 2017 when he moved to the San Jose Earthquakes from FC Gronigen. In 109 appearances (69 starts), he has 23 goals and 13 assists in league play.
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