Sacramento, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC announced that the club has acquired defender Josh Bauer on short term loan from Major League Soccer side Nashville SC, pending league and federation approval.
“Josh is joining us during a very busy stretch of our season,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “He’s bringing valuable USL experience to our defensive unit, and we think he’ll be a great addition to the locker room.”
Bauer, a 24-year-old defender from New Hampshire, joined MLS side Nashville SC in 2021 when he was selected in Stage 1 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft. He was originally selected 31st overall by Atlanta United FC in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. After his SuperDraft selection, Bauer appeared in 27 matches for USL side Atlanta United 2, where he tallied 87 clearances, 69 interceptions, and 26 blocks in over 2,000 minutes. He signed his first professional contract with Birmingham Legion in 2020 and made three appearances during the shortened season.
Bauer played collegiately at the University of New Hampshire, where he started in all 60 of his appearances and added 10 goals and 10 assists en route to consecutive conference titles in 2018 and 2019. He earned many accolades, including back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference Defender of the Year and America East Defender of the Year and two-time America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Bauer also appeared for USL League Two sides Seacoast United Phantoms, Boston Bolts, and Sound FC during his collegiate career.
