OKLAHOMA CITY – Energy FC has signed midfielder Charlie Ward, pending league and federation approval, Head Coach John Pascarella announced today. Ward joins OKC from Ottawa Fury FC, formerly of the USL Championship.

“Charlie is a player that has experience in the league, and he’s very, very good on the ball,” said Pascarella. “I think he’s going to help us a lot in our buildup play. He can cover some ground defensively, but his biggest asset is on the ball and going forward.”

Ward, a 24-year-old from Birmingham, England, made 33 appearances for Fury FC in 2019, recording three assists and leading the team with a 91.7 percent passing accuracy and 2,111 total passes – the third most in the league.

Prior to joining Ottawa, Ward had stints with USL Championship sides Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and San Antonio FC as well as Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. A product of the Aston Villa Academy, Ward signed with the Stoke City reserve team in 2013 at the age of 18, earning his one and only call-up to the English Premier League side against Aston Villa in March 2014.

Ward becomes the 19th player under contract for the 2020 season on a roster that includes:

Goalkeepers (3): CJ Cochran, Kyle Ihn, Cody Laurendi

Defenders (5): Joe Amico, Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Atiba Harris, Kyle Hyland, Nicolas Taravel

Midfielders (7): Arun Basuljevic, Jonathan Brown, Brad Dunwell, Rafael Garcia, Jose Hernandez, Kodai Iida, Charlie Ward

Forwards (4): Cordell Cato, Jaime Chavez, Omar Gordon, Frank Lopez                                   

Season seats for the 2020 season are on sale now. Visit energyfc.com/2020-memberships or call 235-KICK for more information.