Montreal Impact technical director Adam Braz has been preaching patience, and the Impact may soon be rewarded.
Although Cameroonian left back Ambroise Oyongo has not yet made it to Canada, he is in North America and pursuing a Canadian visa so that he can finally join the Impact, Braz told reporters on Monday.
Oyongo, who played for the New York Red Bulls in 2014, was traded to Montreal on Jan. 27 but did not report to the Impact after Cameroon were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations the next day. French-language reports indicated that Oyongo and his agent were disputing the transaction and his contract with Major League Soccer.
"As I mentioned all along, we had to be patient," Braz said. "We were following the direction of MLS. They took a legal approach with FIFA with the Cameroonian FA, and I think at the end of the day, Ambroise, his agent [and] the Cameroonian FA clearly understood that everything was done by the book here. He has a contract with MLS. As part of the contract, you’re able to be traded. He was traded, and he belongs to the Montreal Impact."
While trades rather than transfers may be unusual for foreign players to prepare for, Braz confirmed that the situation has been clarified.
"Certainly on his part, maybe there was confusion about being able to be traded without his consent, but that’s how MLS works, that’s how North American sports work," Braz said. "He had a clear contract with the league. Originally he was on loan, but the transfer was triggered, so he belonged to MLS and, in turn, belonged to us. Everything on our end was clear."
Oyongo, who will turn 24 in June, made 11 starts for New York last year and contributed three assists. He appeared in all five Red Bulls playoff games, starting twice, and assisted on Bradley Wright-Phillips' game-winning goal in the Knockout Round win over Sporting Kansas City.
"We’re happy that he’s finally in North America, he’s going through his visa application from [Washington,] D.C., and we’re hoping within a week to 10 days that the application can be processed and he can get here to integrate with the group," Braz said.
A left-sided player who can play at the back or in midfield, Oyongo was traded from the Red Bulls to Montreal with Eric Alexander in exchange for Felipe and the Impact's spot in the allocation rankings and was expected to contribute to the Impact's defensive depth, particularly at left back, where Donny Toia has gotten off to a good start in 2015.
"I think Donny’s been fantastic from Day 1 with everything, from his application in training to taking on advice from the coaches to developing to his performances on the field," Braz said. "He’s been very consistent, and we’ve been very pleased with him. With regard to Ambroise, he’s got to come in, we’ve got to assess his fitness level now and see where he’s at, because obviously he hasn’t been training necessarily in a team environment since December or January. … Like every other player on the team, he has to prove to Frank that he deserves to be a starter and deserves to have playing time."
Although Oyongo has not yet arrived in Canada, Braz said he has talked with his club's newest acquisition and laid out the expectations for when he does reach Montreal.
"We were patient and had a good conversation with him the other day," Braz said. "He understands that he has to come here and he has a lot to prove with regard to his level of play, his fitness and also with his teammates as far as coming in here with the right mentality, the right attitude and the right work ethic, too, to prove to everyone that he can play at a high level in this league."
