this story will be updated throughout the day
In a bid to fill the void left by the departure of Forward Sean Okoli, FC Cincinnati has turned to UEFA Europa League veteran Baye Djiby Fall. The Senegalese Forward has experience in the German Bundesliga, Russian Premier League, Belgian Pro League, Danish Superligaen, Norwegian Tippeligaen and several other high profile leagues around the world.
A native of Thiès, Senegal, Djiby has made played on several different continents, but FC Cincinnati will mark his first appearance in North America. The 31 year old has scored approximately 80 times in over 23o professional appearances.
Notable clubs that Fall has represented include Lokomotiv Moscow, Molde, Odense Boldklub, Randers FC, Lokeren and Karsiyaka among others. His most recent club was Irtysh Pavlodar in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
The former Tippeligaen Golden Boot Winner & Danish Superligaen MVP will come to Cincinnati after amassing 7 goals in 12 appearances in the UEFA Europa League. His experience in many top flight competitions, including the former UEFA Intertoto Cup, could help get FC Cincinnati their first playoff win and hopefully a first-ever USL Championship.
Standing at 6’1″, Fall could provide a great target up top and could make some highlights with his aerial ability. His most recognizable moment for most soccer fans is his last second goal vs. Fulham in the 2011-12 Europa League, which eliminated the Cottagers from the competition
Here is a video of Falls goal vs. Fulham:
Staff Reaction
I think that the signing of Djiby Fall could be a game-changer for FC Cincinnati. While not an instantly recognizable name, Fall comes with a track record of scoring goals in many leagues worldwide. As seen in several of his highlight videos, Fall has an amazing ability to score with his head. I am characterizing him as a “poor mans” Kei Kamara.
His physical presence could play well next to Fordyce up top with both players having different strengths. Quality service in from the wings could also benefit the incoming striker. A move to the United States could help rejuvenate Fall’s career. Fall has seen his scoring dip in his past several seasons, but being a focal point of an already potent FC Cincinnati attack could see his numbers pop. Remember, Sean Okoli never saw more than 4 goals a season before coming to the Queen City.
I also doubt that Fall came here cheaply. He has played for some big clubs in the past and was quoted as “looking for the best offer”. You don’t take a risk going after this level of a player if you aren’t certain that he will come in and produce. Harkes has the cache’ to deal with big time players and I am sure he will work in to the squad nicely.
Cincinnati Soccer Talk co-host and contributor Bill Wolf will travel down to the IMG Academy next week to give a full report on FC Cincinnati’s preseason matches. We will work to provide our readers with the best information and analysis on Fall and all of the new FC Cincinnati signings. It is yet to be seen if this is FC Cincinnati’s last signing before the season, but we will work to provide the most up to date news when available.
Check out more of Djiby Fall’s goals here:
Playing Experience
Year Club Country
–2006 Vitré (Amateur) France
2006–2007 Randers Denmark
2007–2008 Al-Ain United Arab Emirates
2008–2009 OB Denmark
2009–2012 Lokomotiv Moscow Russia
2010 → Molde (loan) Norway
2011–2012 → OB (loan) Denmark
2012 Lokeren Belgium
2012–2013 Greuther Fürth Germany
2013–2015 Randers Denmark
2015–2016 Karşıyaka Turkey
2016 Irtysh Pavlodar Kazakhstan
@BryanWeigel for @CincySoccerTalk
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