Kevin Yharim Varela Mendoza (born 8 January 1994) is a Mexican footballer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Yharim Varela Mendoza | ||
| Date of birth | January 8, 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Cruz Azul | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | Liberty Flames | 62 | (30) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Tampa Bay Rowdies U23 | 11 | (8) |
| 2018 | OKC Energy U23 | 6 | (1) |
| 2019 | Veracruz | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2020 | |||
Career
editYouth, College & Amateur
editMendoza played with the U-17 and U-20 sides at Cruz Azul, before moving to the United States to play college soccer at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Across four seasons with the Flames, Mendoza made 62 appearances, scoring 30 goals and tallying 15 assists. In 2016 and 2017 Mendoza was named Big South All-Conference first team, and in 2018 was the first Liberty Flame player to be named to the Atlantic All-Region team since 2012.[1]
Whilst at college, Mendoza appeared for USL PDL clubs Tampa Bay Rowdies U23[2] and OKC Energy U23.[3]
Professional
editOn 14 January 2019, Mendoza was selected 73rd overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by Los Angeles FC.[4] However, he did not sign with the club.
In July 2019, Mendoza joined Liga MX side Veracruz.[5]
On 19 December 2019, Mendoza moved to USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies ahead of their 2020 season.[6] He made his professional debut on 25 July 2020, appearing as an 87th-minute substitute during a 1–1 draw with Birmingham Legion.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Kevin Mendoza | Men's Soccer | Liberty Flames". www.liberty.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Rowdies U23 - 2017 Regular Season - Roster - #10 - Kevin Varela Mendoza -". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- ^ "OKC Energy U23 - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - #17 - Kevin Varela Mendoza - F". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- ^ "LAFC Selects Javi Perez & Kevin Mendoza On Second Day Of 2019 MLS SuperDraft | Los Angeles Football Club".
- ^ "Former Liberty Soccer Standout Mendoza Signs with Veracruz | Liberty Flames". www.liberty.edu.
- ^ "Rowdies Welcome Back Midfielder Kevin Mendoza". www.rowdiessoccer.com.
- ^ "Birmingham Legion vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies - 26 julho 2020 - Soccerway". br.soccerway.com.