Sebastián Velásquez

Sebastián Velásquez
Velásquez with Real Salt Lake in 2012
Personal information
Full name Sebastián Velásquez
Date of birth (1991-02-11) February 11, 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Medellín, Colombia
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Greenville Triumph
Number 10
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Real Salt Lake 43 (2)
2015 New York City FC 12 (0)
2016 Rayo OKC 16 (2)
2017–2018 Real Monarchs 49 (16)
2019 Suwon FC 8 (0)
2019 El Paso Locomotive 16 (5)
2020 Miami FC 10 (4)
2020–2021 Bnei Sakhnin 12 (2)
2021–2022 El Paso Locomotive 25 (2)
2022–2023 Hapoel Umm al-Fahm 18 (2)
2023 Memphis 901 1 (0)
2023 Indy Eleven 17 (2)
2024– Greenville Triumph 13 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:12, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Sebastián Velásquez (born 11 February 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL League One club Greenville Triumph SC.

Early life

Velásquez was born in the Colombian city of Medellín and moved to the United States at a young age, with his family settling in South Carolina. As a freshman in high school, he was instrumental in winning a state championship with Greenville High School (Greenville, SC), where they also finished the year ranked No. 1 in the nation by the NSCAA. At the club level, he played alongside future Real Salt Lake teammate Enzo Martinez, and they won a national championship in 2009.[1] He then played at the junior college level for the Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[2]

Career

Velásquez was selected 36th overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake.[3] On March 10, 2012, Velásquez made his professional debut in a start for Real Salt Lake against LA Galaxy.[4] In the 73rd minute, he provided a cross that was turned into the net by Galaxy defender Sean Franklin and Real went on to win the game 3–1.[5] On November 8, 2013, Velásquez scored his first MLS goal with a header during the second leg of the 2013 Western Conference semifinals against LA Galaxy.[6]

In December 2014, he was traded to New York City FC in exchange for allocation money.[7][8] Velásquez was named NYCFC soccer player of the month by the Third Rail Supporters Club in March 2015.

On January 15, 2016, Velásquez became the first player to be signed by NASL expansion side Rayo OKC.[9]

He was also the first player to appear on the NYCFC Fan Podcast on April 1, 2016, a milestone for the podcast.

On January 16, 2019, Velásquez was announced as a new player for K League 2 team Suwon FC. This was Velásquez's first football experience outside the United States.[citation needed] After six months at Suwon, he announced in June 2019, that he had left the club and would return to the United States.[10]

On June 9, 2023, USL Championship club Indy Eleven announced the signing of Velásquez from Memphis 901 FC ahead of the 2023 USL Championship season.[11]

Velásquez was released by Indy Eleven on November 30, 2023, following the conclusion of the 2023 season.[12]

In January 2024, Velásquez signed with USL League One club Greenville Triumph.[13]

Personal life

Velásquez was raised Catholic by his mother but left the Church in 2013 and joined another Christian denomination. His teammates nicknamed him the Colombian Lionel Messi.[14] After a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019, he helped raise funds for a girls' youth soccer team that was outside the store at the time of the shooting and took time to meet the players afterward.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Discoveries SC - powered by Oasys Sports". discoveriessoccerclub.org. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  2. ^ James Edward (March 10, 2012). "Real Salt Lake notebook: Sebastian Velásquez goes from Junior College to MLS in one year". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "2012 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  4. ^ "2012-03-10 La vs RSL/stats". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  5. ^ Beacham, Greg. "Los Angeles 1 - 3 Real Salt Lake: Real Salt Lake ruins Galaxy's title celebration". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "Golazo! Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy - recap". Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "Real Salt Lake continue their rebuild, trade Sebastian Velasquez to New York City FC for allocation money". MLS. December 19, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  8. ^ The Salt Lake Tribune (December 18, 2014). "RSL trades midfielder Sebastian Velásquez to NYCFC". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "RAYO OKC SIGNS THREE PLAYERS". www.rayookc.com. Rayo OKC. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  10. ^ ‘Tian’ Velásquez no jugará más en el fútbol surcoreano[usurped], golombianos.com, 14 June 2019
  11. ^ "Indy Acquires Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez from Memphis 901 FC". Indy Eleven. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Additional Roster Moves". Indy Eleven. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Humphrey, K. "Upstate Soccer Standout Velázquez Signs with Greenville Triumph". GreenvilleTriumph.com. Greenville Triumph. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Flint, Liam (October 11, 2016). "The 'Colombian Messi', Sebastian Velasquez: "He taught me that Soccer is temporary but He is eternal"". Cross The Line. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  15. ^ "El Paso Strong: How soccer and friendship helped a girls' team heal from a mass shooting". July 31, 2020.