Photo by Tim Sullivan/Club and Country
From Club release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 16, 2022) – Nashville Soccer Club announced today the loan of defender Ahmed Longmire to Orange County SC of the USL Championship for the remainder of the 2022 season. Longmire was selected by Nashville SC from UCLA with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas. Nashville SC has the ability to terminate the loan agreement at any point throughout the season.
Nashville SC release
More surprising in that it took this long than anything. Rookies rarely see the field right away, and to date, Longmire has not (though he’s been named to the bench for six games). The training time that he got in the first half of the season should combine with in-game minutes over the remainder – while getting closer to home (and very close to where he went to college at UCLA) – to best prepare him for a future with the team in 2023 and beyond. The fact that Nashville can recall him at any time mitigates any risks.
The timing is on the interesting side, though: after defender Dave Romney was unavailable last weekend due to the league’s Covid-19 protocols, loaning out a reserve defender would seem to imply that Romney will be back and available this weekend (otherwise you could wait a couple days in case you need Longmire off the bench).
Club and Country 