Reggie Cannon lands in London after summer of uncertainty
- by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Sep 26, 2023
The 25-year-old defender Reggie Cannon, who has 28 U.S. caps, has signed with English second-tier club Queens Park Rangers after leaving Boavista in June.
Cannon moved to Portugal in 2020 from FC Dallas, where he started for two MLS seasons after playing a season of college ball as a UCLA freshman — following FC Dallas youth play that included a 2015 U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-17/18 championship win with Paxton Pomykal.
Cannon's tenure with Boavista, for which he appeared in 89 games in all competitions, ended in June amid reports of a wage dispute. His free-agent status enabled Queens Park Rangers to sign him outside the transfer window.
"We have fought off clubs to get him and I believe Reggie will become a big asset for us," QPR coach Gareth Ainsworth said. “He can play on the right side of midfield as a wing-back, he can play as a right-sided center back, so he is going to add real competition for places, which is what we need.
“With him being without a club over the summer he is going to need a bit of time to get up to speed but I know he is raring to get going with us.”
Cannon started for the USA in its 2021 Nations League and Gold Cup final wins over Mexico. He started in a crucial 3-0 win over Honduras in 2022 World Cup qualifying but missed the final three qualifiers while suffering from Covid. His last appearance for the USA was a 2-0 loss to Japan in the team's penultimate friendly ahead of the 2022 World Cup, for which he wasn't selected.
QPR, which last played in the Premier League in 2014-15, finished 20th in the 24-team English Championship last season and is currently in 19th place after the first eight games of the 2023-24 season.
