OAKLAND, Calif. – Oakland Roots SC announced on Wednesday the club had signed defender Niall Logue ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Logue joins Roots SC having most recently competed for fellow Championship club Hartford Athletic in the 2023 campaign. The 28-year-old began his career in the United States with FC Tucson in USL League One in 2020 before joining El Paso Locomotive FC prior to the 2021 season. Logue was sent on loan to Memphis 901 FC that campaign, and then return to Memphis on a permanent deal in 2022. Overall he has recorded 67 appearances in the Championship, logging 5,102 minutes of action over the past three seasons.

“Niall knows this league well,” said Roots SC Head Coach Noah Delgado. “We know he is a strong defender and will fit well in the system we play here in Oakland.”

Logue was born and raised in Northern Ireland, before coming to the United States for college where he competed for Ohio State University after beginning his college career at Yavapai College. He then returned to his home country to begin his professional career, appearing for Derry City in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

Analysis

Niall Logue arrives in Oakland from a Hartford side that had the worst defensive record in the Championship in 2023. That might give one pause, but the 28-year-old individually was solid, winning 62.5 percent of tackles and 59.6 percent of duels on the way to a +3.81 Goals Added mark in 20 appearances, surpassed only by Conor McGlynn in the club’s defensive corps.

At 6-foot-4, Logue can also win possession in the air – he won 40 of 57 aerial duels this past campaign, a 70.2 percent success rate. He could be a useful piece for Oakland this season.