COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew 2 announced today the signing of forward Kaïlé Auvray and midfielder Pharrell Willis.
Auvray – who debuted debut with Crew 2 and scored in the 80th minute of a 2-1 win over Orlando City B on Aug. 17 – comes to the Club from the Jamaican Premier League's Cavalier S.C., where he logged 36 appearances (23 starts), one goal and two assists and competed in the 2025 tournament quarterfinals as Cavalier FC claimed the Premier League Playoff title with a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over his former club, Mount Pleasant FA.
Earlier in his career, Auvray joined French academy LOSC Lille Youth at 17-years old and logged two appearances. After being called up to the LOSC Lille's Under-19 team for the 2021-22 season, he played in 22 matches (19 starts) and scored key goals in the UEFA Youth League International Cup and the Gambardella National Cup.
Auvray also competed with the Minnesota United FC Academy in 2022 and Sporting Kansas City Academy in 2023. At the end of 2023, he signed with Mount Pleasant FA of the Jamaican Premier League, making his professional debut on Jan. 17, 2024. He appeared in nine matches with the club, helping the team advance to the 2024 Premier League Playoff finals before transferring to Cavalier FC.
Willis joins the Club after most recently playing with Maidstone United FC on loan from Middlesbrough Academy. The midfielder joined the Middlesbrough Academy at 16 and scored eight goals for the Under-18 team in the 2020-21 season. The London native moved to the U-21 squad in 2021, logging 16 appearances (eight starts). He contributed one assist in 850 minutes in his first season in the second division of Premier League 2. Willis made his senior debut on Nov. 8, 2022 as a substitute against Blackpool in the EFL Championship, the second division of English soccer. In his second season with the Middlesbrough U-21 team, he finished with three goals and two assists in 11 matches (10 starts) as his side finished seventh in the league.
The 22-year-old went on to record four goals and two assists in 12 matches (10 starts) the following season.
In 2024, he was loaned to Scottish League One side Queen of the South FC, where he played in six matches and scored in a 1-0 win over Montrose FC. Willis returned to England on loan to Maidstone United FC for the remainder of the 2025 season, tallying six appearances as the team finished seventh in the National League South.
Name: Kaïlé Auvray
Pronunciation: kai-lay ov-RAY
DOB: May 27, 2004
Previous Club: Cavalier S.C.
Name: Pharrell Willis
Pronunciation: fur-EL WIL-iss
DOB: February 23, 2003
Previous Club: Middlesbrough FC
