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Legion FC Adds Former Impact Defender Fisher

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 01/17/19, 1:14PM EST

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San Antonio signs Canadian shot-stopper; Gunderson re-signs with Energy FC


New Birmingham Legion FC signing Kyle Fisher made 23 appearances for the Montreal Impact in the 2017 MLS season before injury curtailed his 2018 campaign. | Photo courtesy Montreal Impact

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced on Thursday it had signed former Montreal Impact defender Kyle Fisher to a multi-year deal. The 11th signing in Legion FC’s history, Fisher can play either center-back spot as he joins a defensive contingent that also includes Eric Avila, Marcel Appiah and Razak Cromwell.

“Kyle is a player we’ve tracked since his time at Clemson and on to Montreal,” said Birmingham President and General Manager Jay Heaps. “He’s an excellent defender and another player we’ve brought in with both MLS and USL experience that will strengthen the spine of our team.”

Fisher was drafted by Montreal as the 14th overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. He spent the 2016 season splitting time between MLS and former USL Championship side FC Montreal, where he played in 14 games. He earned a regular place in the Impact’s lineup in 2017 and made 23 appearances for Montreal, starting 15 games and scoring one goal. In 2018, Fisher had surgery to repair a tibial stress fracture and spent the season preparing for his full return to action.

Prior to his professional career, Fisher started all 83 games in his four-year career at Clemson University, culminating in an appearance in the 2015 NCAA College Cup Championship game. As a senior, he was a NSCAA First Team All-American, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, given annually to the top collegiate player in the country.

Fisher also gained experience in USL League Two prior to his selection in the SuperDraft, competing for both Orlando City U23 and the Portland Timbers U-23s across two seasons in the league.

SHOT-STOPPER VISCOSI LANDS WITH SAFC: San Antonio FC announced on Thursday it had signed goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi for the 2019 USL Championship season pending league and federation approval.

Viscosi joins SAFC after spending the past two seasons in Finland’s first and second divisions. Following a successful year with Turun Palloseura (TPS) in 2017, Viscosi was named the Ykkonen’s Goalkeeper of the Year while leading TPS to promotion to the Veikkausliiga. Overall that season, the 27-year-old made 27 appearances, compiling 2,430 minutes and 15 overall clean sheets. In his two seasons in Finland, Viscosi appeared in 70 matches across all competitions, recording 25 shutouts.

“Jonathan was brought to our attention this offseason,” said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell.  “He is a goalkeeper that can also use both feet, which can help us in the way we play. He is a very good shot-stopper and he comes to us with good experience overseas in both England and Finland.”

Prior to his time in Finland, Viscosi competed in England between 2014-16, including with two clubs in the National League North – Southport FC and Chester FC – before joining Oskarshamns AIK of the Swedish second division. Originally from Canada, Viscosi played in USL League Two for the Albany Highlanders, the Ottawa Fury and Des Moines Menace prior to turning professional after his collegiate career at the University of Buffalo.

“I’ve had some good conversations with Darren [Powell] and Juan [Lamadrid] about the vision of the club and the direction in which its heading,” said Viscosi. “I’m really excited to come in and be a part of that vision. I am looking forward to arriving and seeing everything first-hand, and most of all meeting the boys and getting to work on the training ground in preparation for the season ahead.”

GUNDERSON RE-UPS WITH ENERGY FC: OKC Energy FC announced it has re-signed defender Max Gunderson for the 2019 Championship season, with the experienced defender also set to join Head Coach Steve Cooke’s staff as a physical performance coach, a field in which he is nationally certified.

Gunderson has made 49 appearances in the Championship over the course of his career, having been part of Energy FC’s inaugural squad in the 2014 season. Gunderson also played for the Austin Aztex and San Antonio FC before returning to Energy FC’s squad last season after a stint with Energy FC U23 in USL League Two.

“We are really excited to bring Max back to the club, this time in a slightly different role”, said Cooke. “The one thing that I think strikes everybody about Max is that he is an incredible professional, works extremely hard and is really dedicated to his craft. What people possibly don’t know is that he is actually a nationally certified athletic trainer. He’s got a physical performance coaching background. He is also a coach in his own right and works with young players almost daily, so he’s got a real blend of talents that we think we can really use this year to not only help the coaching staff, but I think he’s going to be a real big asset to the playing staff.”

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