Ricardo Velazco
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 26 May 1993 | ||
Place of birth | Casa Grande, Arizona, United States | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Arizona Monsoon | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010–2012 | Real Salt Lake AZ | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2012 | Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes | ||
2013–2014 | Louisville Cardinals | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2012–2014 | FC Tucson | 30 | (11) |
2015–2016 | Real Monarchs | 47 | (10) |
2016–2017 | Real Salt Lake | 9 | (0) |
2018 | Isidro Metapán | 11 | (2) |
2019 | FC Arizona | 0 | (0) |
2022 | Valley United | 9 | (1) |
2024– | Arizona Monsoon | 4 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 August 2024 |
Ricardo Velazco (born May 26, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Arizona Monsoon.
Club career
[edit]Youth, college and amateur
[edit]Velazco spent two years with the Real Salt Lake AZ Academy before beginning his college career at Cal State San Bernardino. In his only season with the Coyotes, he made 14 appearances and tallied six goals and one assist. After his freshman year, he transferred to the University of Louisville. In his first year with the Cardinals, he made 20 appearances and recorded seven goals and nine assists on his way to being named First Team All-American Conference and First Team and First Team All-Midwest Region. In 2014, he made 22 appearances and recorded six goals and five assists.
Velazco also played in the Premier Development League with FC Tucson.[1][2][3] He was named PDL Young (U21) Player of the Year and was selected to the All-League and All-Western Conference Teams in 2014.[4][5]
Professional
[edit]On March 7, 2015, Velazco signed a professional contract with Real Monarchs SLC, a USL affiliate club of Real Salt Lake.[6] He made his professional debut on March 23 in a 0–0 draw with LA Galaxy II.[7] Fast forward several months, Velazco was rewarded with a first team contract after two outstanding seasons with the Real Monarchs and signed a professional contract with Real Salt Lake on September 6, 2016, making him the first ever player in Real Salt Lake History to move up through the ranks from the Real Salt Lake Academy to the Real Monarchs and finally to Real Salt Lake.[8][9] On March 4, 2017, Velazco made his MLS debut while being subbed on against Toronto FC. On May 13, 2017, Ricardo made his first start for Real Salt Lake while playing against New England Revolution in Foxborough, Massachusetts. In total, Velazco played 9 games over the course of 254 minutes, while registering 5 shots and 1 shot on goal in the 2017 MLS season.[10]
Isidro Metapán
[edit]Velazco signed with top flight Primera División side Isidro Metapán for the Clausura 2018 tournament.[11] Velazco scored two goals in a 2–4 defeat against Municipal Limeño in the Estadio Jose Ramon Flores, in January 2018.
Legal issue
[edit]Velazco was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. a year later, the district attorney announced that Velazco would plead guilty to the reduce charge of sexual battery. On April 16, 2018, Velazco was sentenced to 45 days in jail, 24 months of probation, and suspended fine of $2,500.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "2012 FC Tucson stats". USLPDL.com. Premier Development League. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "2013 FC Tucson stats". USLPDL.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "2014 FC Tucson stats". USLPDL.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "PDL All-League Team Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ "PDL Award Winners Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ Ralph, Matt (7 March 2015). "Ricardo Velazco leaving Louisville early for Real Monarchs". RecklessChallenge.net. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Real Monarchs open inaugural season with a scoreless draw against LA Galaxy II". RealSaltLake.com. RSL Communications. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ RSL Communications (September 6, 2016). "Real Salt Lake Signs Homegrown Forward Ricardo Velazco". Real Salt Lake. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Gaschk, Matt (September 12, 2016). "The Sovereign: Velazco's Maturation Started off the Field". Real Salt Lake. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ricardo Velazco". Major League Soccer. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Exjugador de Isidro Metapán fue sentenciado a 45 días de cárcel".
- ^ "Ex-RSL player sentenced to jail for sex with teen". deseretnews.com. Desertnews. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
External links
[edit]- 1993 births
- Living people
- People from Casa Grande, Arizona
- Sportspeople from Pinal County, Arizona
- Soccer players from Arizona
- American men's soccer players
- Men's association football forwards
- Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes men's soccer players
- Louisville Cardinals men's soccer players
- FC Tucson players
- Real Monarchs players
- Real Salt Lake players
- A.D. Isidro Metapán footballers
- FC Arizona players
- USL League Two players
- USL Championship players
- Major League Soccer players
- Salvadoran Primera División players
- American expatriate men's soccer players
- American expatriate sportspeople in El Salvador
- Expatriate men's footballers in El Salvador
- Homegrown Players (MLS)
- National Independent Soccer Association players