CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati have signed defender Gustavo Vallecilla on loan from Ecuadorian club SD Aucas for the 2021 MLS season.
Vallecilla, 21, will occupy an international roster seat and upon receipt of his P-1 visa and international transfer certificate, will be added to Cincinnati FC’s 2021 MLS roster.
“We have made it our mission to add a center-back to our squad before the start of the season and we believe Gustavo offers know-how that fits well with our playing philosophy,” said FC General Manager Gerard Nijkamp Cincinnati. “He’s a young player with a promising profile who balances our squad composition. We look forward to Gustavo joining our current group and welcoming him to Cincinnati. “
In the recently launched Ecuadorian Serie A campaign, Vallecilla made four appearances in all competitions.
In his career, the central defender has made 47 career appearances, including 27 starts in all competitions since he made his first professional appearance at Deportivo Cuenca at the age of 17. Vallecilla has spent his entire career in Ecuador, on loan for Deportivo Cuenca (2016-18), SD Aucas (2019-2021) and Barcelona SC (2020).
After a single appearance in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Vallecilla was able to break the regular season for Deportivo Cuenca in 2018. The defender played 16 games, including 11 starts, in all competitions.
After 2018, Vallecilla moved to his colleague SD Aucas from the Ecuadorian Serie A. In his first season with the club, the defender played seven games, including four starts, in all competitions.
Born in Ecuador from Esmeraldas, he moved to Barcelona SC for 2020 and made three appearances at the Copa Libertadores. In total, he made 18 appearances, including eight starts, and took up his first career support.
Internationally, Vallecilla has played a total of 21 games for Ecuador’s youth national teams at the U-20 and U-23 levels.
Cincinnati FC will return to the field for their third MLS season on Saturday, April 17, when the team opens the season on the road against Nashville SC. The FCC will officially open their home table for 2021 on Sunday, May 16, when the team welcomes Inter Miami CF to the opening game at West End Stadium in a nationally televised game at 4pm.
The current Cincinnati FC squad, sorted alphabetically by position, is listed below:
Goalkeeper (4): Cody Cropper, Ben Lundt, Beckham Sunderland and Przemysław Tytoń
Defender (8): Saad Abdul-Salaam, Zico Bailey, Joseph-Claude-Gyau, Nick Hagglund, Ronald Matarrita, Tom Pettersson, Gustavo Vallecilla, Michael van der Werff
Midfielder (10): Luciano Acosta, Frankie Amaya, Alvaro Barreal, Allan Cruz, Calvin Harris, Yuya Kubo, Haris Medunjanin, Ben Minen, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Caleb Stanko
Forward (5): Isaac Atanga, Brenner, Franko Kovačević, Jürgen Locadia, Brandon Vazquez
TRANSACTION: Cincinnati FC signed defender Gustavo Vallecilla on loan from SD Aucas for a year on April 5, 2021.
# 5 GUSTAVO VALLECILLA
Pronunciation: VY-yuh CEE-yuh
Position: defender
Height: 6-3
Weight: 170
Date of birth: May 28, 1999
Place of birth: Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Hometown: Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Last club: SD Aucas (ECU)
Nationality: Ecuador
MLS duty roster status: International
How Purchased: Loaned by SD Aucas on April 5, 2021.
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