IRVINE, CA (JUNE 14, 2022) – Defending USL Championship title holders Orange County Soccer Club today announced the transfer of American teenage sensation Kobi Henry to French first division side Stade de Reims, the largest transfer deal in the history of the United Soccer League (USL).
Kobi Henry
Henry, 18, the first active USL player to be called up to the US National Team Senior squad, is the latest player to move to Europe through Orange County’s unique Pathway to Professional model, which has seen OCSC players transfer to first division sides in Germany, France, Scotland and Sweden.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for me and my family, a dream come true,” Kobi Henry said. “When I came across the country to play for OCSC, I knew that if I put in the work and followed the plan the coaches laid out for me, I would have the opportunity to play in Europe. I can’t thank OCSC, the staff, my teammates and the fans enough for believing in me. Playing abroad at the highest level is a great achievement in my journey as a professional soccer player and I look forward to what the future brings.”
Stade de Reims, a talented Ligue 1 club, are one of the youngest sides in Europe and have tracked Henry over the past year as a key prospect. The club sees Henry, who is a regular at center back for the US U19 and U20 sides, as a player with an opportunity to earn significant minutes for the first team in the upcoming season.
“Kobi’s signature is a big step forward for our project,” Stade de Reims Sporting Director Pol-Edouard Caillot said. “Reims has become one of the most attractive clubs for young players - we are the team where young players get the most playing time in Europe. Kobi will continue to grow and develop his skills in a good environment .”
A native of Lakewood, FL, Henry made 30 appearances for Orange County SC, having joined the side from Inter Miami’s Academy with the aim of moving into top-class European soccer via the club’s innovative Player Development Pathway.
“Kobi came to Orange County because he and his family strongly believed that we had the model professional pathway and environment for him to accomplish his goal of transferring to Europe. Kobi is a special young man and player who excelled in his two years with us, and his desire to improve all parts of his game is simply unmatched.” OCSC President of Soccer Operations Oliver Wyss said. “This record club transfer sets a new standard for the USL and validates our investment on and off the field in elite young US soccer prospects. There was a lot of interest in Kobi from top European clubs, but Stade de Reims has a very similar club philosophy to ours which encourages and plays young talented players in the first team. We are convinced he will have a successful long-term career in Europe and on the US National Team.”
Orange County’s Pathway model pairs talented young prospects like Henry with seasoned professionals, such as former Mexican National Team player Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres and former USMNT stalwart Michael Orozco, who started alongside Henry during most of his appearances for the club.
Henry’s transfer is the fourth of its kind from Orange County to a European club in the past two years. That number is set to increase with other talented young OCSC players like forward Korede Osundina, who scored in the US U19 side’s victory over England’s U19 last week, and midfielder Francis Jacobs, who was the youngest professional in US soccer history when he signed for OCSC at 14-years-old in 2019.
"From the day I purchased OCSC six years ago, the club has advanced with one core idea: that the young US player is the most undervalued asset on the international transfer market in all of global football,” Owner James Keston said. “OCSC created a structure focused on recruiting and training the most talented young players in Southern California and across the US, pairing OCSC youngsters with experienced professionals to create a highly competitive culture along with a team that can compete for a USL Championship Cup each year. As we embark on a significant expansion project as a club and grow our player pipeline, we congratulate Kobi for leading the way for the next generation of OCSC young professionals."
OCSC, who are the reigning USL Champions, pioneered the model of creating opportunities for young players to move directly to Europe, breaking the mold of the traditional college or MLS routes. Most recently, Haitian forward and 2021 USL Championship Finals MVP Ronaldo Damus was transferred to GIF Sundsvall in the Allsvenskan, the Swedish first division, and is now starting for the club.
“Kobi’s move to Ligue 1 shows the platform we have here with talented players that are attracting attention from the best leagues in the world,” USL Sporting Director Mark Cartwright said. “Orange County has a great club structure with the right people in the right positions with the right knowledge in recruitment, coaching and development. All those pieces fit together to create the largest transfer in USL history.” Per club policy, terms of the transfer will not be disclosed.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:
Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) is Orange County’s only professional soccer team and a founding club of the United Soccer League (USL). The USL Championship comprises 27 teams across the United States and is the fastest growing Division II professional soccer league in the world. The team plays its home games at the immaculate 5,500-seat Orange County Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium located in Irvine, CA, a new facility surrounded by world class amenities and 24 soccer fields. OCSC won its first USL Championship in November by defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies by a score of 3-1 at the 2021 USL Cup. OCSC is dedicated to being the leader in professional player development in the United States, providing the most talented young players in Southern California and across the United States a pathway to professional soccer and to the top leagues around the world. OCSC’s strategic partner is historic European power Rangers Football Club of Glasgow of the Scottish Premier League. In November 2021, OCSC’s 17-year-old center back, Kobi Henry, became the first active USL player to be called up to the full US Men’s National Team for a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, in 2019 OCSC signed the youngest male in United States soccer history to a professional contract, Francis Jacobs, at the age of 14; Jacobs played in the 2020 Alkass Cup with Rangers in Qatar and will be returning to train with Rangers in the near future. OCSC also executed the first ever player move from the USL to the German Bundesliga by sending Bryang Kayo to VFL Wolfsburg in early 2020, followed by the transfer of OC native Aaron Cervantes to Rangers FC in late 2020. OCSC also received the largest transfer fee in league history within the USL for a 2021 intraleague transaction. Club owner and Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, James Keston, purchased the club in 2017, rebranded the team as Orange County SC and continues to lead the OCSC management team as Chief Executive Officer. OCSC, alongside its sister organization the 501c3 Orange County Soccer Club Community Foundation, are committed to creating a worldclass soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players and youth clubs of Orange County.