NYCFC acquire Tony Rocha from Orlando

In what is the first official move of the 2018-19 offseason for New York City FC, the Bronx Blues have traded away a fourth round MLS SuperDraft pick to Orlando City in exchange for midfielder/defender hybrid Tony Rocha.

Rocha — who has been in Orlando’s system since 2016 — only featured for the Lions on 23 occasions throughout his three seasons with the club. He was loaned to Orlando City B for much of 2017, and spent a small amount of time on loan to Saint Louis FC last year as well.

While every player deserves a chance to prove themselves — which they will undoubtedly get to do in the upcoming preseason — it’s hard to imagine a player with Rocha’s history being picked up with the intention of him being anything more than a depth piece.

Obviously, it’s nice to know that NYCFC have already begun stocking up for the 2019 season. But we’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the big news.

Regardless, we welcome Rocha to the club and hope he can contribute to what will hopefully be an MLS Cup-winning campaign!