Orlando City SC has announced the acquisition of defender João Moutinho from Los Angeles Football Club, in exchange for defender Mohamed El-Munir.
Moutinho, 20, was selected by LAFC with the first overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, becoming the first selection in club history. Moutinho appeared in 14 matches with 10 starts in his rookie campaign, scoring his first career goal on June 9 against San Jose in stoppage time. The 97th-minute goal proved to be the game-winner for Moutinho and LAFC.
A member of the 2018 Generation adidas class, Moutinho will retain that status with City and will not count against the Club’s salary cap.
At the collegiate level, Moutinho played a year at Akron, starting all 24 matches for the Zips. The Lisbon, Portugal native was ultimately named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year, TopDrawerSoccer.com National Freshman of the Year, selected as a first-team All-MAC performer and was a 2017 First-Team United Soccer Coaches All-America honoree. Before arriving to Akron, Moutinho was a member of the distinguished Sporting Lisbon Academy, starting with the U10 squad and eventually winning national championships with the U15 and U19 sides.