TUCSON, Ariz. (Dec. 22, 2020) — FC Tucson announced today that the club has exercised the contract option for Spanish midfielder Manu Ferriol, making him the third player on the team’s 2021 roster.
“I am extremely excited to come back to Tucson for 2021,” said Manu Ferriol. “I can’t wait to give back all the confidence I’ve been shown by the coaching staff and club. Fuerza Tucson.”
Ferriol, 22, officially signed for the club on February 27, 2020, but due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, Ferriol remained in Spain before being allowed to return stateside in September of 2020. The Spain native joined after being selected 40th overall by FC Dallas in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
In his shortened, first season with the team, Ferriol appeared in 9 matches and quickly became the club’s 4th most consistent passer with an average of 51.9 passes per 90 minutes of play.
Born in Valencia, Spain, the central midfielder developed within the Levante UD academy of La Liga for four years, from 2010 to 2016 before joining NCAA Division 1 soccer program James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Ferriol played three seasons with James Madison University, scoring 30 goals and adding 10 assists in 64 appearances. The midfielder collected accolades such as 2019 CAA Player of the Year, ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and CSN First Team All-American honors.
“With exercising the option of Manu Ferriol we are returning a quality player to our 2021 team. Although we only had Manu for a handful of games in 2020, we saw some of his quality,” said FC Tucson Head Coach, John Galas. “He was a treasured member in the second half of 2020 and we are very much looking forward to having him here for a full campaign in 2021.”
During his time at JMU, Ferriol played in the USL League Two with the LongIsland Rough Riders, where he was selected to the 2019 Eastern Conference Team of the Season, scoring 5 goals and tallying a team-leading 4 assists. He becomes the first midfielder returner from the 2020 team and joins Shak Adams and Roberto Alarcon on the club’s 2021 roster.
