Union sign young Bolivian right back on loan

The Union announced another rather low-key signing on Thursday, bringing in 21-year-old Bolivian right back Jose Jamir Berdecio from Bolivian club Oriente Petrolero.

The deal is a one-year loan with an option to buy. With Olivier Mbaizo and Nathan Harriel already established at right back, Berdecio — who colloquially goes by Jamir, not Jose — presumably will see most of his playing time with the Union’s reserves.

He’s been a pro since 2021, playing 37 games. His disciplinary record is clean, just six yellow cards and no red cards in 1,942 minutes of action.

The more notable thing about Berdecio’s resumé is that he has a U.S. green card through family ties in this country. So he won’t take up an international roster spot.

Berdecio was named to Bolivia’s under-23 squad for the South American Olympic qualifying tournament, which starts Saturday and runs until Feb. 11, but the Bolivian national team released him from it so he could settle in with the Union.

“Jamir is a young and very talented player,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “We’ve watched his play in both the Bolivian Primera División and Bolivia’s U23 National Team and were impressed with his potential. We look forward to seeing how he integrates into our system of play and contributing to his development.”

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Had Berdecio gone to the Olympic qualifying tournament, he’d have seen a new Union teammate in Bolivia’s first game. Reserve team forward José Riasco is on host nation Venezuela’s roster.

The tournament has two groups of five teams, with the top two in each group advancing to a final group stage. Bolivia and Venezuela’s group also features Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia, which means the odds of Riasco advancing aren’t great. (Brazil’s squad is led by future Real Madrid forward Endrick, for example.)

The top two teams in the final group stage will qualify for the Olympics.

As for the rest of the Union’s preseason, there’s still no news on whether Alejandro Bedoya is coming back or whether Julián Carranza will be sold. Marquee centerback prospect Brandan Craig just had a trial at the English Premier League’s Everton, but it’s unclear how that went — and with Everton in major financial trouble, it’s unclear whether the club could afford a fair transfer fee for him.

The Union’s first preseason game is Sunday against Brazilian club Flamengo in St. Petersburg, Fla.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza is still a Union player, but might not be for much longer