OAKLAND, Calif. – Oakland Roots SC announced on Wednesday the club had acquired midfielder Nico Lemoine on loan from Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo FC ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Lemoine was born and raised in Livermore, California and played for both the De Anza Force Academy and San Jose Earthquakes Academy in the Bay Area before being signed to the Houston Dynamo Academy.

“Nico is a young East Bay product that has great first team professional experience,” said Roots SC VP of Soccer Eric Yamamoto. “He will bring dynamic qualities and we know he is a player with more potential for growth.”

Lemoine signed his first professional contract in the USL Championship with Rio Grande Valley FC ahead of the 2019 season. The 21-year-old made 19 appearances for the Toros in the Championship that season and notched a pair of goals. The following year he was signed by the Dynamo and recorded one goal in 12 appearances in Major League Soccer across the 2020 and 2021 seasons.