Bryan Róchez

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Róchez and the second or maternal family name is Mejía.

Bryan Róchez
Personal information
Full name Bryan Giovanni Róchez Mejía
Date of birth (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Petro de Luanda
Youth career
Real España
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Real España 62 (30)
2015–2017 Orlando City 16 (3)
2016 Orlando City B 10 (2)
2016 → Real España (loan) 15 (6)
2017 Atlanta United 0 (0)
2017–2022 Nacional 124 (44)
2022–2024 Portimonense 21 (1)
2023 → União de Leiria (loan) 22 (11)
2024– Petro de Luanda 2 (0)
International career‡
2011 Honduras U17 3 (2)
2012–2015 Honduras U20 9 (6)
2014– Honduras 27 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 June 2024

Bryan Giovanni Róchez Mejía (born 1 January 1995) is a Honduran professional footballer who plays as a striker for Girabola club Petro de Luanda and the Honduras national football team.

Club career

Real España

Born in Tegucigalpa and raised in Tornabé, Róchez joined Real España at a young age. After progressing through the club's youth system, he made his senior debut in 2012. His first Liga Nacional appearance for the club came on 13 October 2012, in a 1–1 draw at home against Deportes Savio in the Apertura tournament; He played as a starter and was replaced by Allan Lalín in the 53rd minute.[1] He scored his first goal on 24 March 2013, the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Marathón in the Sampedran Derby.[2] By the end of the 2013–14 season, Róchez had scored 20 goals for Real España to finish as the second highest goalscorer in the league, a campaign that saw Real España crowned as the Apertura champions.[3][4]

Orlando City

On 15 December 2014, Major League Soccer expansion side Orlando City announced the signing of Róchez as a Designated Player, making him one of the youngest Designated Players in MLS history at only 19 years old.[5] He made his MLS debut on 8 March 2015, a 1–1 home draw against fellow newcomers New York City. He entered as a second-half substitute in the 80th minute in place of Lewis Neal.[6] Róchez scored his first goal for The Lions on the following 13 September, in a 3–1 win against Sporting Kansas City.[7]

He was loaned to Orlando City B in March 2016.[8][9] He made his debut on 26 March in Orlando's opening game against Wilmington Hammerheads in the United Soccer League. He came on as a second-half substitute for Richie Laryea, playing 20 minutes in a 2–1 loss.[10] He scored his first goal on 26 April in a 2–1 loss against Harrisburg City Islanders.[11]

Loan return to Real España

On 22 July 2016, Róchez returned to Real España on loan after having not made a single appearance for Orlando City during the season.[12] He played his first game on 10 August in a 1–0 loss against Olimpia in the league.[13] 18 days later, he scored his first goal since his return as Real España defeated Honduras Progreso 4–1.[14]

Atlanta United

On 17 March 2017, Róchez was waived by Orlando City. However, Róchez was quickly claimed by new expansion side Atlanta United.[15][16]

Nacional

On 22 August 2017, Róchez left Atlanta United and joined Portuguese LigaPro club Nacional.[17] He made his debut the following 24 September in a 3–1 away victory against Condeixa in the second round of the Taça de Portugal.[18][19] He made his league debut on 1 October in the 5–4 away defeat to Braga B, he also scored his first goal and Nacional's third.[20] On 29 December 2021, Róchez scored a hat-trick in Nacional's 4–1 home win against Académico de Viseu, in the process becoming the top scorer in the history of the club.[21]

Portimonense

On 13 July 2022, Primeira Liga club Portimonense presented the signing of Róchez in a press conference.[22] He made his debut for the club on 27 August, coming on as an extra-time substitute on a 1–0 win away at Marítimo. On 5 May 2023, Róchez scored his first goal for Portimonense, a last-minute equalizer on a 1–1 away draw at Casa Pia.[23]

Loan to União de Leiria

On 24 July 2023, União de Leiria, recently promoted to Liga Portugal 2, announced the signing of Róchez from Portimonense on a season-long loan.[24]

International career

Róchez made his senior national team debut for Honduras on 17 November 2014 in a friendly against China, starting in a 0–0 draw.[25]

In April 2015, he was called up to represent Honduras in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.[26] On 1 June, he scored a brace in the first group stage match of the tournament against Uzbekistan in an eventual 4–3 win.[27] He would feature in all three group stage matches as Honduras were eliminated in the first round.

Career statistics

As of matches played 28 August 2023[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real España 2012–13 Liga Nacional 7 2 — — — 7 2
2013–14 40 20 — — 3[a] 1 43 21
2014–15 15 8 — — — 15 8
Total 62 30 — — 3 1 65 31
Orlando City 2015 MLS 16 3 0 0 — — 16 3
Orlando City B (loan) 2016 United Soccer League 10 2 — — — 10 2
Real España (loan) 2016–17 Liga Nacional 15 6 — — — 15 6
Nacional 2017–18 LigaPro 15 6 1 0 — — 16 6
2018–19 Primeira Liga 30 10 1 0 1 1 — 32 11
2019–20 LigaPro 19 7 1 0 1 2 — 21 9
2020–21 Primeira Liga 33 6 3 1 — — 36 7
2021–22 Liga Portugal 2 27 15 1 0 1 1 — 29 16
Total 124 44 7 1 3 4 — 134 49
Portimonense 2022–23 Primeira Liga 21 1 1 0 2 0 — 24 1
União de Leiria 2023–24 Liga Portugal 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 — 4 2
Career total 210 76 8 1 6 5 3 1 227 83
As of match played 16 June 2024[citation needed]
Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Róchez goal.
List of international goals scored by Bryan Róchez
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 October 2023 Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, Tegucigalpa, Honduras  Cuba 4–0 4–0 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League
2 17 November 2023 Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, Tegucigalpa, Honduras  Mexico 2–0 2–0 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League
3 26 March 2024 Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States  El Salvador 1–1 1–1 Friendly
4 10 June 2024 Bermuda National Stadium, Devonshire Parish, Bermuda  Bermuda 6–1 6–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 16 June 2024 Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, United States  Ecuador 1–1 1–2 Friendly
  1. ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League

Honours

Real España

Nacional

References

  1. ^ Real España vs. Deportes Savio 1 – 1 Soccerway.com; 13 October 2012
  2. ^ "Real España y Marathón terminaron 1-1" [Real España and Marathón finished 1-1] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 22 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Real España gana en los penales y es el nuevo campeón de Honduras" [Real España wins on penalties and is the new champion of Honduras] (in Spanish). La Prensa. 14 December 2013.
  4. ^ "In Depth: Bryan Róchez Showing His Potential". Orlando City SC. 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Orlando City Signs Bryan Róchez as MLS Designated Player". Orlando City SC. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Orlando City SC 1, New York City FC 1". Major League Soccer. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  7. ^ "VIDEO: Bryan Róchez anota su primer gol en la MLS con Orlando City" [VIDEO: Bryan Róchez scores his first MLS goal with Orlando City] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 13 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Orlando City SC Loan Seven Players to OCB". Orlando City Soccer Club.
  9. ^ "Orlando City manda al delantero hondureño Bryan Róchez a la USL" [Orlando City sends Honduran forward Bryan Róchez to USL] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 25 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Orlando City B Debuts in USL in Front of Passionate Fan Base". Orlando City SC. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Orlando City B Falls 2-1 to Islanders". Orlando City SC. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Orlando City SC loan Bryan Rochez to Honduran club Real CD Espana". MLSSoccer.com. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Olimpia noquea al Real España y comparte el liderato con Motagua en Honduras" [Olimpia knocks out Real España and shares the lead with Motagua in Honduras] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 11 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Domingo Zalazar guía goleada de Real España ante Honduras Progreso" [Domingo Zalazar guides Real España's win against Honduras Progreso] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 1 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Orlando City SC Waives Forward Bryan Róchez". Orlando City SC. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Atlanta United claim Bryan Róchez off waivers". Atlanta United FC. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Bryan Rochez assina por três temporadas" [Bryan Rochez signs for three seasons] (in Portuguese). C.D. Nacional. 22 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Nacional vence Condeixa por 3-1 e segue em frente na taça" [Nacional beats Condeixa by 3-1 and goes ahead in the cup] (in Portuguese). Nacional. 24 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Hondureño Bryan Róchez debuta en Portugal" [Honduran Bryan Róchez debuts in Portugal] (in Spanish). Diario Más. 25 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Bryan Róchez rompe la sequía y anota su primer gol en Portugal" [Bryan Róchez breaks drought and scores his first goal in Portugal] (in Spanish). Diario Más. 1 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Bryan Róchez marca hat-trick y se convierte en el máximo goleador del CD Nacional" [Bryan Róchez scores hat-trick and becomes CD Nacional's top scorer] (in Spanish). La Prensa. 29 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Oficial: Bryan Róchez es presentado como nuevo jugador del Portimonense de la Primera División de Portugal" [Official: Bryan Róchez is presented as new player of Portimonense of the Portuguese First Division]. Diario Diez (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Bryan Róchez, avançado do Portimonense, marca um ano depois" [Bryan Róchez, Portimonense's forward, scores after one year] (in European Portuguese). O Jogo. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Bryan Róchez: bem-vindo" [Bryan Róchez: welcome]. União de Leiria (in European Portuguese). 24 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Honduras cierra minigira por Asia empatando sin goles con China" [Honduras closes Asian mini-tour with goalless draw against China] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 17 November 2014.
  26. ^ "¡Listado oficial de la Sub-20 de Honduras para Mundial de Nueva Zelanda!" [Official list of the Honduras U-20 team for the World Cup in New Zealand!] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 30 April 2015.
  27. ^ "Rochez brace lifts Honduras to U-20 World Cup win". CONCACAF. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  28. ^ Bryan Róchez at Soccerway