Malacia signs with FC Cincinnati until 2027, MLS adds European defender

Tyrell Malacia (27) has signed a contract on Friday until June 2027 with FC Cincinnati in the Major League Soccer. The Rotterdam left‑back arrives as a free‑transfer player after his contract with Manchester United expired. The club announced the agreement immediately after the presentation.

Contract details and free transfer

The contract runs until mid‑2027 with an option for an additional year, the club said. Because Malacia left Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer of 2026, Cincinnati did not pay a transfer fee. Laurel Pfahler, the club's representative, presented the player on Friday.

Previous clubs and playing minutes

Manchester United bought the Rotterdammer in the summer of 2022 for fifteen million euros from Olympique Lyon. During his four seasons at the English top club he featured in a total of thirty‑nine matches, twenty‑two of them in the Premier League. Last season he only made three brief appearances: two minutes against Newcastle United in December, five minutes against the same opponent in April and eight minutes against Brighton in May.

International experience and injury

Malacia played his last international for the Netherlands on 14 June 2023 in the Nations League against Croatia, a 2‑4 defeat. He was in the World Cup squad for Qatar, but a serious knee injury kept him out of the tournament. National team coach Louis van Gaal once called him his ‘pitbull’, a nickname the player still cherishes.

Failed transfers and PSV loan

After a lengthy rehabilitation a move to Benfica seemed possible, but the deal fell through. In February 2025 PSV loaned the left‑back from Manchester United and he played twelve matches, but the purchase option of ten million euros was not activated. A later move to Elche in Spain was also cancelled at the last minute.

Goal: return to the Netherlands

Malacia hopes that his performances in the United States will force a recall to the Dutch national team. A recent conversation with KNVB director Nigel de Jong may have reignited the fire. At Cincinnati he wants to show that his body can again withstand a full season.

MLS as a springboard, meeting with Messi

The Major League Soccer offers Malacia a platform to prove his form, after which a return to Europe is possible. In October a showdown is scheduled: a match against Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi plays. The latest update of the news came at 19:05, according to clubwatcher Mikos Gouka of Feyenoord.