French defender Romain Metanire has played in top European leagues, competed in World Cup qualifiers and been an MLS All-Star. The Spokane Velocity FC is thrilled to announce that Metanire is coming to Spokane, pending League, ITC, and Federation approval.
Romain Metanire
Position: Right Back
Jersey: 22
Hometown: Metz, France
Age: 33
Romain Metanire began his affiliation with FC Metz, which plays in France’s Ligue 1, when he was 6 years old. After starting his professional career in the team’s reserve club at age 18, Romain made 161 appearances and two goals from 2010-16 for Metz. He proved to be such a fan favorite with his hometown team that when he scored a goal in injury time on Feb. 5, 2016 against AS Nancy, it inspired a T-shirt: “Je t’aime comme un but de Métanire à la 91e (I love you like a Métanire goal in the 91st).”
After leaving Metz, he played the 2016-17 season for the Belgian club KV Kortrijk before returning to France and making 59 appearances for Reimes, helping the team win promotion from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1 for the 2018-19 season.
In 2019, Romain signed with MLS’ Minnesota United. In four seasons with Minnesota, Romain appeared in 77 matches and played for 6,798 minutes, scoring one goal and making 13 assists. In the 2019 season, he represented Minnesota in the MLS All-Star Game. He returned to Europe for 2023, playing for the Belgian club R.F.C. Seraing. Romain’s ancestry is Malagasy, the indigenous people of Madagascar, and he has played for the Madagascar national team since 2018. He participated in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the quarterfinals, and then again in 2023. Madagascar also competed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2022 and 2023.
“Romain obviously has an incredible resume with him being in the MLS for four years and more recently playing in World Cup Qualification games last year, so his ability as a player speaks for itself,” said Velocity Coach Leigh Veidman. “Despite an incredible resume, Romain’s passion for the game, desire to continue to push himself to improve, and his fierce competitiveness is what impresses me about him! He will be an incredible asset to our players, club, and city!”
