CINCINNNATI, OH --- FC Cincinnati has signed Blake Smith to a one-year contract with an option with the Boerne, Texas native due to join the team at IMG Academy this week.
Smith spent two seasons with Miami FC and helped the club to a No. 1 seed in The Championship last year. The four-time NASL Team of the Week selection started in 21 of 25 matches in 2017 and had five assists to tie for fifth in the league. Smith scored a point in three straight games in the month of Sept. while tacking on a lone goal in a 2-2 draw in Oct. against San Francisco Deltas.
"Blake is a very technically sound, athletic full-back," said Head Coach Alan Koch. "He will give us another excellent option on the left side of the field. We are all excited to welcome him to the club and get him integrated with the team as quickly as possible."
In his first year in Miami, Smith was second on the team with five assists and just one of four players to reach the 30-game plateau in appearances.
Prior to signing with Miami FC, Smith played for Yverdon Sport FC in Switzerland, where he had four goals in 14 appearances.
Smith was the eighth overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by Montreal Impact. As a rookie, he logged action in 16 regular-season games, putting away a pair of goals to go along with two assists. He made his debut at Kansas City in March and recorded his first goal against Philadelphia. He had five goals in 11 MLS Reserve League games while making 10 starts. Following three regular-season appearances in 2014, Smith was loaned to Indy Eleven, where he scored two goals and two assists over 19 games for the then-NASL outfit. During that stint, he scored four goals in the U.S. Open Cup Tournament, including a hat trick and two assists against the Dayton Dutch Lions in a third-round game.
Smith was a four-year letterwinner from 2009-12 at the University of New Mexico and scored 13 goals and 19 assists. In 2012 he finished second in the nation with 13 assists and garnered All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first team accolades twice (2011-12) and was also an NSCAA Far West All-Region choice in 2012.
Name: Blake Smith
Position: Defender
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 150
Date of birth: January 17, 1991
Age: 27
Hometown: Boerne, TX
Country: USA
Last club: Miami FC
How acquired: Signed on Feb. 5, 2018
