Christiano François (born July 17, 1993) is a Haitian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a winger for the

Rio Grande Valley FC Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The team served as a ...

in the USL Championship and for the Haiti national team.

Career

Early career

François came to the United States following the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

, playing prep soccer for two years at

Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredite ...

in Newark, New Jersey. He enrolled in the University of Maryland's Maryland English Institute and formed a close bond with fellow Haitian Widner Saint-Cyr. Following a freshman season where he scored 5 goals in 24 games for the Terrapins, François was forced to redshirt his sophomore year due to academic reasons.

D.C. United

After two years at Maryland, François decided to leave college early and sign a contract with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. He was claimed by

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

via the Waiver Draft on January 24, 2014. On March 25, François was loaned to USL Pro affiliate club

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

He made his professional debut on April 5 in a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. On August 8, 2014; he was recalled from Richmond and released by

. On January 21, 2015 he signed with SC Vila Real as a forward and right-wing midfielder. In August 2015 he signed with Felgueiras 1932.

FC Motown

During 2016, François made appearances with New Jersey amateur side FC Motown.

Rochester Rhinos

On March 21, 2017, he signed with USL side Rochester Rhinos.

Ottawa Fury

Following a season with Pittsburgh Riverhounds, François signed with Ottawa Fury FC of the USL Championship on December 3, 2018.

Miami FC

On January 18, 2021, François signed with USL Championship side Miami FC.

El Paso Locomotive FC

François joined El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship's Western Conference on 8 February 2022. He made 26 league appearances, scoring one goal and assisting another, before departing the club following the expiry of his contract.

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros

On January 27, 2023, François signed with

International career

He made his debut for Haiti national football team on 7 September 2019 in a CONCACAF Nations League game against Curaçao, he replaced Derrick Etienne in the 78th minute.

References

External links

*
Maryland Terrapins bio
*
desportivotransmontano.com
* * 1993 births Living people Men's association football forwards Haitian men's footballers Haitian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Haitian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Haitian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Haitian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players Central Jersey Spartans players Baltimore Bohemians players D.C. United players Richmond Kickers players F.C. Felgueiras 1932 players FC Motown players Rochester New York FC players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Ottawa Fury FC players Reno 1868 FC players Miami FC players El Paso Locomotive FC players Rio Grande Valley FC Toros players USL League Two players Campeonato de Portugal (league) players USL Championship players Haiti men's international footballers Undrafted Major League Soccer players {{Haiti-footy-bio-stub