Former 49ers soccer star Gentile signs with Swiss team

Former Charlotte 49ers soccer player Giuseppe Gentile has signed with FC Chiasso, a team in Switzerland’s second division.

It’s a homecoming for Gentile, a striker and key member of the 49ers team that played in the 2011 College Cup championship game. Gentile was born in Miami but spent much of his childhood living in the small town of Cazis, Switzerland, which is about 90 miles from Chiasso.

Gentile left Charlotte after his junior season of 2013. He was drafted by Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire and played in 2014 for the United Soccer Leagues Pro’s Charlotte Eagles and Orlando City, before finishing the season with the North American Soccer League’s San Antonio Scorpions.