December 13, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – FC Tulsa News Release
TULSA – Another young, top talent is Tulsa bound. The club announced on Tuesday that it has acquired 2021 first-round MLS SuperDraft pick Justin Malou from Columbus Crew in exchange for an undisclosed sum, pending league and federation approval. The move marks the first time in franchise history that FC Tulsa has paid a transfer fee for a player.
At only 24 years old, Malou has already experienced tremendous success throughout his young career between one season with Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro and five years spent at the collegiate level with Clemson University. A champion in back-to-back seasons, Malou claimed the 2021 NCAA College Cup title with Clemson before conquering MLS NEXT Pro in the league’s inaugural 2022 campaign, adding another trophy to the cabinet.
The Crew initially drafted Malou with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, but Malou instead opted to remain at Clemson for a fifth season, a decision that yielded him an NCAA championship. Malou would later sign with Crew 2 ahead of the 2022 season, joining a Columbus coaching staff featuring FC Tulsa head coach Blair Gavin.
“When I worked with Justin in Columbus, the first thing that stood out is that he’s an incredible person and a winner,” said head coach Blair Gavin. “He’s a very flexible and versatile defender who can shut down anyone whether he’s at right-back or center-back, he can play anywhere on the backline, and he’s comfortable on the ball.”
Malou’s illustrious skillset has heralded success for the Senegal native at both the center-back and right-back positions. Primarily stationed in the center with Crew 2 a season ago, Malou appeared in 19 regular season matches and started every playoff match to boot. He won 60% of his attempted tackles and concluded the season with an 89.9% pass accuracy mark, made only more impressive when factoring in his 71.1% long ball accuracy percentage. Malou also supplied one goal on June 10 vs. Inter Miami II.
“I’m excited for this new challenge with FC Tulsa,” said Malou. “I am looking forward to joining the team and striving together to achieve success and win championships. My experience with Blair has been nothing but amazing and helpful – he always offered great advice regarding improving my game and leadership on the field.”
Over his five years at Clemson, Malou amassed 90 appearances with two goals and eight assists. As a senior, he was awarded…