Larry Henry JrAnthony Fontana’s time with the Philadelphia Union came to a frustrating end, but the American midfielder will embark on a first-ever stop in Europe.
Serie B side Ascoli has completed the signing of Fontana, who was on trial with the club earlier this winter. Fontana’s contract with the Union expired and although the club making a bona-fide offer, the Delaware native turned down the chance to stay in MLS.
Fontana, a former Union homegrown, debuted under Jim Curtin in 2018 and went on to tally 44 combined league appearances since. The 22-year-old scored eight goals and registered two assists in league play for the Union, with six of those tallies coming in 2020.
The arrival of Hungarian international Daniel Gazdag and the rise of homegrowns Paxten Aaronson and Jack McGlynn didn’t help Fontana’s chances of earning regular minutes last season though, nor did a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a concussion. Fontana registered one assist in 12 league outings for the Union last season, but only made four starts.
Ascoli is currently in the second division in Italy and has monitored Fontana over the past year. The club is sitting in ninth place in Serie B, earning 32 points from 21 matches so far.
Fontana is currently injured, but will hope to play a part in Ascoli’s rise up the table with 17 matches left to play.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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