TULSA, Okla. – FC Tulsa announced on Thursday the club had signed 19-year-old Haitian forward Watz Leazard ahead of the 2023 USL Championship season, making the youngster the fifth forward to join the Tulsa frontline for the new season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Leazard jumped onto the radar this past summer with his performance in the Concacaf U-20 Championship, where he recorded a goal and two assists in 344 minutes of action for his country.  played. Leazard clashed with his new FC Tulsa colleague Christopher Pearson in the Round of 16 as Haiti and Jamaica faced off, a match ultimately ending in a 2-1 victory for Pearson and co.

“International tournaments provide an opportunity to see young players breaking through the scene, and Watz is one of those guys,” said FC Tulsa Head Coach Blair Gavin. “He’s got incredible size, soft feet for a winger, and has an incredible ability on the ball to break down defenders that isn’t ordinary for other guys.”

Prior to his signing, the native of Cap Haïtien played his club ball with Real Hope Football Academy in Haiti’s top-flight division, Liuge Haïtienne.

“I'm very happy to join FC Tulsa. It's a new step in my career and my development,” said Leazard. "Haiti is complicated because of the political situation, so it was my dream to be able to leave and play in a new championship abroad. I want to accomplish a lot and dream of winning a trophy with Tulsa while scoring lots of goals and lots of assists to help the team.”