EMMITSBURG, Md. (Jan. 15, 2020) - Former Mount St. Mary's goalkeeper Bobby Edwards has signed a professional career with Major League Soccer's (MLS) FC Cincinnati this week.
The stateside signing continues Edwards' professional career, following a tenure with Portadown F.C. in the Northern Ireland Football League. Competing in the Bluefin Sport Championship Division, Edwards made 23 appearances for Portadown since joining the team in June 2019.
"I'm thrilled to join FC Cincinnati and become part of an amazing organization." Edwards said. "I look forward to representing the club and city with pride and cannot wait to meet the special community in Cincinnati. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this journey - especially thank you to all those at Mount St. Mary's University who not just pushed me to become a better player, but taught me the values to be a good person. I am forever grateful for everything the university has done for me, especially the influence that Coach Cunningham, Coach Singer & Coach Miller have had on me and continue to have on me."
Edwards came to the Mount as a grad student prior to the 2018 campaign, serving as a team captain and the starting goalkeeper for a young Mount squad making its return to Division I competition. Edwards started all 16 games in goal for the Mountaineers in 2018, posting a .748 save percentage and 1.64 goals against average between the pipes while registering a pair of shutouts on the year.
"I am extremely proud of Bobby for achieving his goal of reaching the MLS." Mount head men's soccer coach Bryan Cunningham said. "He has had an excellent season to date in Northern Ireland and hopefully that propels him to great things in 2020. I look forward to watching him on this exciting journey."
FC Cincinnati joined MLS in 2018 as an expansion franchise, and began play last year. The team plays in the Eastern Conference where they finished 12th in their inaugural season. Games are played at Nippert Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati until a soccer specific stadium is scheduled to open in 2021.