CHICAGO (June 28, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has acquired Ivorian midfielder Ousmane Doumbia (pronounced: OOS-mahn DOOM-bee-ah) as a Designated Player on loan from FC Lugano for the remainder of the season with an option to purchase. Doumbia will occupy an international position on the roster, pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Per Club and MLS policy, additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Ousmane to the Club,” said Chicago Fire FC Sporting Director, Georg Heitz. “He is a highly talented and versatile player with a skillset well-suited for this League, and his addition will immediately bring more quality and leadership to the squad. We look forward to welcoming him to Chicago very soon as we strive to achieve our goals in 2023.”
Doumbia, 31, joined FC Lugano from FC Zürich in July 2022 and helped the team advance to the Swiss Cup final in his first season with the club. Doumbia played 43 matches for FC Lugano (40 starts) across all competitions, registering three goals and three assists as a defensive midfielder. Prior to playing with FC Lugano, Doumbia played in 65 regular season matches and three Swiss Cup matches for FC Zurich from 2020-2022, where he helped lead the team to its first league title in 13 years in 2022.
While at Lugano, Doumbia led the Swiss Super League among all players in tackles (84) and was sixth in the league in combined tackles and interceptions (141). His 63 percent tackle rate placed him first among all starting center midfielders in the Swiss Super League, and he was also second among all starting center midfielders in aerial win rate (65 percent).
A versatile midfielder, Doumbia began his career in with his hometown club AS Adjamé, playing with the U-19 squad before breaking into the Athletic Adjamé first team. From Adjamé, Doumbia was loaned to Swiss side Servette FC which was then playing in the Challenge League. Doumbia climbed through the ranks in Switzerland, eventually signing with FC Zürich in the Swiss Super League in the 2020-21 season.
He will occupy an international slot on Chicago’s 2023 roster. Doumbia is the third Designated Player on the Fire’s 2023 roster, alongside midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and Young Designated Player Jairo Torres.
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC acquires Ousmane Doumbia as a Designated Player on loan from FC Lugano (Swiss Super League) for the remainder of the season.
Name: Ousmane Doubmia (pronounced: OOS-mahn DOOM-bee-ah)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 149 lbs.
Date of Birth: May 21, 1992
Hometown: Adjamé, Cote d’Ivoire
Birthplace: Adjamé, Cote d’Ivoire
Citizenship: Cote d’Ivoire
Last Club: FC Lugano
