Armada FC Adds U.S. U-20 Midfielder Ethan Sonis On Loan

The Jacksonville Armada FC bolstered its midfield on Monday when it added Ethan Sonis on loan from German 2. Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.

Sonis, the Armada FC’s first player on loan in club history, is a 19-year-old defensive midfielder originally from Coral Springs, Fla., who currently plays for SC Freiburg’s reserve team, SC Freiburg II, where he has registered four appearances and 102 minutes since 2014.

“We are excited to bring Ethan to Jacksonville and are appreciative of SC Freiburg,” Armada FC General Manager Darío Sala said. “Ethan has strong technical skills and will fit in to our system right away. We look forward to seeing what he can do for the Armada.”

In March, the 6-foot, 165-pounder earned his first call up to the Under-20 U.S. men’s national team training camp in England. He played 12 minutes in a friendly against England’s U-21 men’s national team on March 29 and also saw action in a closed-door scrimmage against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur’s U-21 team. He was also called into the squad’s April training camp in Linz, Austria, where he made the final list of 35 players for the U.S. men’s national team U-20 World Cup roster.

Sonis signed with SC Freiburg after coming up through the FC Dallas youth development academy and playing with the FC Dallas Reserves in 2013 and 2014, making seven appearances and one start with the squad. Prior to joining FC Dallas in 2012, Sonis honed his skills at U.S. Soccer Development Academy Kendall SC from 2011-12 in Miami, where he was captain of the U-18 team and started every match he played.

He also played with other youth clubs: Miami Springs SC (2011); West Pines United SC in Pembroke Pines, Fla., (2010); Tuzos Soccer Club’s Pachuca 96 team in Phoenix (2009), which is affiliated with Liga MX side Club de Fútbol Pachuca; and Great Falls/Reston Soccer Club in Virginia (2004-07). Sonis also trained for a month in the Netherlands with PEC Zwolle (2013) and tried out for Argentine clubs River Plate (2011) and Chacarita Juniors (2011) in addition to participating in Real Madrid’s invitational training camp (2008).