Haitian Teen Inks Deal With FC Tulsa

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Jan. 6, 2023: The US’ FC Tulsa soccer team has signed a Haitian teen soccer star for their new United Soccer League Championship season.

Haiti Under-20 international Watz Leazard has signed with FC Tulsa for the season, which gets underway in March. The 19-year-old forward was a standout at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship last July, grabbing the attention of Tulsa’s scouts with a goal and two assists

Leazard, who lives in the port city of Cap Haïtien on Haiti’s north coast, currently plays for his native Real Hope Football Academy in the country’s top flight but will now join the based in Tulsa, Oklahoma club pending league approval.

“I’m very happy to join FC Tulsa. It’s a new step in my career and my development,” Leazard said. “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.”

Leazard’s signing is the fifth addition to Tulsa’s strike force ahead of the new season which runs from March 11 to October 14.

The club, which campaigns in the Eastern Conference, missed out on the playoffs last season after winning only 12 of their 34 games to finish eighth in the standings.

“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.”

At FC Tulsa, Leazard will play alongside Jamaica Under-20 international Christopher Pearson, a mid-fielder who signed for the outfit last summer.