Haris Medunjanin leaving FC Cincinnati, set to sign with PEC Zwolle

Update, Thursday 1 p.m.: FC Cincinnati and Haris Medunjanin jointly confirmed Thursday they would mutually terminate Medunjanin's contract following Saturday's match against Philadelphia Union.

Medunjanin addressed local media members post-training at the Mercy Health Training Center in Milford, confirming his exit from the club and Major League Soccer in addition to saying that "I'm going to PEC Zwolle. I didn't sign yet, but just the medical part."

"I'm going there to a coach that I work together with in Philadelphia , and he's a good friend of mine," Medunjanin said. "I respect him, and he asked me 'what do you think?' And I said, 'whenever you gonna be a head coach somewhere, I want to play one more year for you,' and now is the moment to go there. I'm going there just to help. I'm not going to take somebody's place. The young guys are the future. I'm 37, 38. It's not about me."

Medunjanin underscored the main reason for his departure, saying "it was always tough for me here, especially without my young child." Medunjanin expressed regret over missing his son's first birthday, and said he planned to be in Israel for the child's second birthday in mid-August.

"It's a happy moment for me that I can go back to Europe and also be at my son's second birthday," Medunjanin said. "I just want to be there because he's growing up... It's not anymore about me. I'm 37. It's more about the kid."

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said he was grateful to have had Medunjanin's services into August of the ongoing season, and reiterated the club was always going to respect Medunjanin's wishes on matters concerning Medunjanin's family.

A pre-match ceremony for Medunjanin before the start of Saturday's match against Philadelphia Union was also announced Thursday. It's expected that Jim Curtin, who managed Medunjanin in Philadelphia, will participate.

"To finish against the team (where) you start your MLS career, that's like a coincidence but it's very nice," Medunjanin said.

Previous reporting: FC Cincinnati's second move of the ongoing secondary transfer window will be the departure of one of its most trusted veterans.

Haris Medunjanin, 37, will mutually terminate his contract with FC Cincinnati in order to relocate to play in Europe so he can be closer to his young family, The Enquirer confirmed Tuesday.

It's expected Medunjanin will later sign with PEC Zwolle of the Netherlands' second-division league, the Eerste Divisie.

Medunjanin trained with FC Cincinnati's full first team Tuesday and will remain on the books for one further match in Orange and Blue.

Fittingly, the game will be Saturday's home contest at TQL Stadium against Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m.), the club where Medunjanin spent the first half of his six-season MLS career.

MLSSoccer.com's Tom Bogert was first to report the transactions.

Over his stops in Philadelphia and Cincinnati, Medunjanin racked up 167 career MLS appearances, nine goals, 33 assists, and nearly 12,400 minutes logged between the two stops.

Medunjanin also played three MLS Cup playoff matches with the Union, and departed the club in 2020 as its all-time leader in assists.

More: Haris Medunjanin talks Brenden Aaronson transfer to RB Salzburg

In Cincinnati, Medunjanin scored four goals and added four assists over parts of three seasons. He was often pressed into holding midfield duties.

A veteran of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as a member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina senior men's national team, Medunjanin's biggest contribution to FC Cincinnati was his leadership.

He mentored both young players and experienced teammates alike, and was a calming presence on the field. Those attributes were critical for FC Cincinnati during his stay in the Queen City as the club underwent two managerial changes after Medunjanin arrived in December 2019 under then-GM Gerard Nijkamp.

After Medunjanin signed for FC Cincinnati as part of the end-of-year waivers process in 2019, Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin would sometimes publicly express regret over Medunjanin's departure.

The personnel move is FC Cincinnati's first in the secondary transfer window since it started out the window quickly with a trade for Sergio Santos.

The transfer window, which essentially serves as the last period in-season to make meaningful roster moves, concludes on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati, Haris Medunjanin set to part ways