USL Championship 2021 finals MVP Ronaldo Damus has joined San Diego Loyal SC for the 2023 season with the official announcement made on Monday, March 13.

Appropriately nicknamed the “Haitian Sensation” for his mix of technical skills, speed, and agility, the 29-year-old forward will be part of the team led by head coach Nate Miller through a loan from Swedish club GIF Sundsval currently pending final approval from the league.

“I love scoring goals because it’s my job,” said Damus during an interview with the Always Loyal Podcast.

The native of Hinche, Haiti led USL League One in scoring with 16 goals during the regular season and playoffs back in 2019 while with North Texas SC earning him the Golden Boot award and has also represented the Haitian national team at the U20, U21 and senior levels. Damus draws his inspiration for playing soccer from Portugal’s national team player Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Everything that I do when I play, I want to be like him,” Damus added.

Damus scored twice in the 2021 USL Championship final while playing forward for Orange County SC as the team from Irvine defeated the eastern conference champion Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-1. It’s yet to be announced if he will be part of the San Diego Loyal lineup this Sunday at Torero Stadium for the match against Phoenix Rising.

San Diego Loyal finished as the top-scoring offense in the western conference last season with 68 goals only trailing Tampa Bay league-wide, which finished with 73 goals. The addition of Damus comes at the right time considering that forward Thomas Amang, who had 11 goals for San Diego Loyal in 2022, was signed by Orange County SC on March 3.

Photo courtesy: Orange County SC