Union sign young Bolivian right back on loan
Jose Jamir Berdecio is a 21-year-old right back prospect. The Union signed him on a loan deal for this year with an option to buy him afterward.
The Union announced another rather low-key signing on Thursday, bringing in 21-year-old Bolivian right back Jose Jamir Berdecio from Bolivian club Oriente Petrolero.
The deal is a one-year loan with an option to buy. With Olivier Mbaizo and Nathan Harriel already established at right back, Berdecio ā who colloquially goes by Jamir, not Jose ā presumably will see most of his playing time with the Unionās reserves.
Heās been a pro since 2021, playing 37 games. His disciplinary record is clean, just six yellow cards and no red cards in 1,942 minutes of action.
The more notable thing about Berdecioās resumĆ© is that he has a U.S. green card through family ties in this country. So he wonāt take up an international roster spot.
Berdecio was named to Boliviaās under-23 squad for the South American Olympic qualifying tournament, which starts Saturday and runs until Feb. 11, but the Bolivian national team released him from it so he could settle in with the Union.
āJamir is a young and very talented player,ā Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. āWeāve watched his play in both the Bolivian Primera DivisiĆ³n and Boliviaās U23 National Team and were impressed with his potential. We look forward to seeing how he integrates into our system of play and contributing to his development.ā
Ā» READ MORE: Union trade AndrĆ©s Perea to NYCFC, ending his short and disappointing tenure in Philly
Had Berdecio gone to the Olympic qualifying tournament, heād have seen a new Union teammate in Boliviaās first game. Reserve team forward JosĆ© Riasco is on host nation Venezuelaās roster.
The tournament has two groups of five teams, with the top two in each group advancing to a final group stage. Bolivia and Venezuelaās group also features Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia, which means the odds of Riasco advancing arenāt great. (Brazilās squad is led by future Real Madrid forward Endrick, for example.)
The top two teams in the final group stage will qualify for the Olympics.
As for the rest of the Unionās preseason, thereās still no news on whether Alejandro Bedoya is coming back or whether JuliĆ”n Carranza will be sold. Marquee centerback prospect Brandan Craig just had a trial at the English Premier Leagueās Everton, but itās unclear how that went ā and with Everton in major financial trouble, itās unclear whether the club could afford a fair transfer fee for him.
The Unionās first preseason game is Sunday against Brazilian club Flamengo in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ā» READ MORE: JuliĆ”n Carranza is still a Union player, but might not be for much longer
