FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II has added four players to the team’s USL League One roster ahead of the club’s inaugural 2020 season. Midfielder Lucas “Maciel” Felix, defender Ryo Shimazaki, forward Orlando Sinclair, and midfielder Ryan Spaulding will be added to the roster pending league and federation approval. Sinclair is joining New England on a one-year loan from Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa.
Shimazaki, 22, is entering his first professional season after a four-year college career at Virginia Commonwealth University. During his time at VCU, Shimazaki made 69 appearances and 56 starts, primarily at outside back, and registered seven goals with six assists. He helped the Rams win the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship in 2018, and earned a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team as a senior in 2019. On the international stage, Shimazaki was a member of the Japan Under-17 Men’s National Team.
Sinclair, 21, most recently played in the USL Championship with Loudoun United FC, where he appeared in 24 matches – with 18 starts – and tallied three goals with one assist during the 2019 campaign. The Costa Rica native came to Loudoun United in March 2019 on loan from Deportivo Saprissa in his home country’s top flight, where he appeared in eight games during the 2018-19 season and scored in his professional debut for the club on Oct. 3, 2018 in the Apertura tournament. Sinclair also spent time on loan with CS Uruguay de Coronado in Costa Rica’s Segunda División, recording 15 games played and two goals in 2018 en route to an appearance in the semifinals of the Clausura championship.
Spaulding, 21, arrives in New England from North Carolina FC of the USL Championship, where he signed his first team contract in September 2019. A Cary, N.C. native, the NCFC Youth Academy product rose up from the Under-16 ranks to become an Under-23 standout, leading the NCFC U-23s in scoring with five goals during the 2017 Premier Development League (now USL League Two) campaign. He played two seasons of college soccer at UNC Charlotte, where he scored three goals with two assists in 32 appearances and helped the 49ers reach the Conference USA Tournament Championship game in 2017, and win the 2016 Conference USA regular-season title. In January 2018, Spaulding went to Europe to play for French club Stade Briochin, where he made nine appearances and saw 209 minutes of action.
Maciel, who turns 20 on Jan. 18, is a defensive midfielder who recently featured for the Under-20 team of Brazilian Série A side Botafogo F.R. He made 32 appearances for the Under-20 side, and added four additional games played in Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, a cup competition comprised of Brazilian under-20 teams.
With these four additions, the club’s USL League One roster currently stands at eight players. Midfielder Mayele Malango, forward Connor Presley, defender Collin Verfurth, and defender Nick Woodruff became the first Revolution II players signed to the team on Jan. 7. Revolution II’s 28-game regular season begins on Saturday, March 28 with a home match against Orlando City B.
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution II signs midfielder Lucas “Maciel” Felix, defender Ryo Shimazaki, and midfielder Ryan Spaulding to the club’s USL League One roster, and acquires forward Orlando Sinclair on a one-year loan from Deportivo Saprissa, pending league and federation approval on Jan. 16, 2020.
RYO SHIMAZAKI
Position: Defender
Pronunciation: REE-yo SHEEM-ah-ZAH-kee
Height: 5-9
Weight: 150
Date of Birth: 04/19/1997 (Kawasaki, Japan)
Hometown: Kawasaki, Japan
College: Virginia Commonwealth
Nationality: Japan
How Acquired: Signed to Revolution II USL League One roster on Jan. 16, 2020
ORLANDO SINCLAIR
Position: Forward
Pronunciation: sin-KLARE
Height: 5-11
Weight: 155
Date of Birth: 04/19/1998 (San José, Costa Rica)
Hometown: San José, Costa Rica
Previous Club: Loudoun United FC (Loan - USLC)
Nationality: Costa Rica
How Acquired: Acquired by Revolution II on year-long loan from Deportivo Saprissa on Jan. 16, 2020
RYAN SPAULDING
Position: Midfielder
Pronunciation: SPALL-ding
Height: 5-7
Weight: 150
Date of Birth: 09/10/1998 (Cary, N.C.)
Hometown: Cary, N.C.
College: UNC Charlotte
Previous Club: North Carolina FC (USLC)
Nationality: United States
How Acquired: Signed to Revolution II USL League One roster on Jan. 16, 2020
LUCAS “MACIEL” FELIX
Position: Midfielder
Pronunciation: MAH-see-ELL
Height: 5-8
Weight: 150
Date of Birth: 01/18/2000 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Previous Club: Botafogo F.R. (Brazil)
Nationality: Brazil
How Acquired: Signed to Revolution II USL League One roster on Jan. 16, 2020
