Oakland Roots announced they transferred Jeciel Cedeño to Detroit City on Monday for an undisclosed fee. It ends his time with the club after being acquired during the 2023 season in exchange for Edgardo Rito.
Back in September, Oakland signed Cedeño to a “multi-year” extension, making this the first year of his new deal. At 24-years-old and with multiple years left on his contract, it appears the time was now to strike for Roots’ front office.
Cedeño on the move may catch some by surprise given he’s currently the third leading goal contributor on the squad, but a deal was expected after he was kept out of the lineup in Oakland’s recent 2-1 win over Miami.
Although Cedeño’s three goals trails only Johnny Rodriguez, Jeciel fell behind Lindo Mfeka in recent weeks. In his last three starts, Oakland lost to Monterey 2-1, Pittsburgh 5-0, and Sacramento 5-2.
However, similar to last year’s trade of Darek Formella, Oakland has now made a mid-season departure of its second-leading goal scorer. The club would not confirm or deny if they are preparing an acquisition to fill Cedeño roster spot.
The move also reduces Oakland’s list of senior attackers to just five. When asked about Roots’ optimal number of attackers, the club couldn’t provide comments.
Cedeño’s departure would seem to be a vote of confidence in Lindo Mfeka at the central attacking midfielder and right wing spots. It also results in a potential jump up the depth chart for Project 51O product, Etsgar Cruz.
Mfeka, notably, has suffered injuries every year of his career with Roots and also missed time at the start of the season. Cruz has 11 appearances and four starts, equating to a 1-1-2 record as a starter. The also club wouldn’t elaborate on whether they had replacement plans at CAM and RW.
Back in September, former HC Noah Delgado commented on Cedeño’s extension, calling him a premier attacking threat in the USL Championship. Oakland notably won it’s last four games without Jeciel in the starting lineup, but the club would not say if Cedeño fell out of favor under interim HC Gavin Glinton.
Following Cedeño’s extension, Roots’ director of player personnel Nana Attakora said he was a player that exuded “character and professionalism” in the club’s long-term vision. Again, the club also wouldn’t comment on whether character issues arose with Jeciel, but one club source mentioned: “The move was made in what the club felt was in the best interest for the club.”
In 2024, Cedeño appeared in 20 games with 15 starts, recording three goals and one assist in 1,369 total minutes.
One more name in the transfer saga to keep an eye on is Bryan Tamacas after being dropped from the lineup against Miami as well. The club, once again, would not deny that a transfer was in the works for Tamacas.