HUNTSVILLE – As the Huntsville City FC announced its returning players for next season, the absence of several players was noticeable.
The club said defender Kessy Coulibaly, midfielder Patrick Amarh, and forward Jordan Knight will be back for the 2025 season and midfielder Ethan O’Brien was signed on a permanent transfer from Indy Eleven FC.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Bolaños and Ollie Wright, who played both seasons for HCFC, were among the dozen or so players who are not coming back. Bolaños had a team-high 8 goals and 7 assists while Wright had 2 goals and 5 assists, second on the team.
Coulibaly came to Huntsville in 2024 from MFK Vyskov in the Czech Republic’s Fortuna Narodni Liga. As a Boy in Blue, the defender made three appearances, including his MLS NEXT Pro debut on March 30 vs. Columbus Crew 2. The Frenchman recorded an 86.6% passing accuracy and completed two key passes in his appearances in 2024.
O’Brien joined Huntsville City FC on May 31 on loan from Indy Eleven FC of the USL Championship. As a Boy in Blue, O’Brien made 15 appearances and 13 starts, wearing the captain’s armband in Huntsville’s match Sept. 29 at Carolina Core FC. O’Brien won Huntsville City FC Goal of the Season for his curling strike from outside the box in HCFC’s 1-1 draw at Crown Legacy FC on Aug. 4.
Knight joined the Boys in Blue on June 22 from two-time MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Champions Columbus Crew 2. He made his HCFC debut one day later against FC Cincinnati 2 and scored the first goal of the season one matchweek later against Carolina Core FC in his Huntsville home debut. In total, Knight made 10 appearances and six starts as a Boy in Blue. He also made history as the first Huntsville player to appear in a Leagues Cup match when he was subbed on for parent club Nashville SC on July 31 vs. Mazatlán FC.
Following a season-ending injury in the 2024 preseason, Amarh will look to make his Huntsville City FC and MLS NEXT Pro debut in 2025. The Ghanaian joined the Rocket City from the Ghana Premier League’s Inter Allies FC. He also spent time on loan with Elite Falcons FC in the United Arab Emirates before joining the Boys in Blue.
