Brandon Vázquez

Brandon Vázquez Toledo (born October 14, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati and the United States national team.

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

Brandon Vázquez
Vázquez with FC Cincinnati in 2023
Personal information
Full name Brandon Vázquez Toledo[1]
Date of birth (1998-10-14) October 14, 1998[2]
Place of birth Chula Vista, California, United States[2]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 FC Cincinnati
Number 19
Youth career
2013–2016 Tijuana
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Tijuana 0 (0)
2017–2019 Atlanta United 32 (3)
2018–2019 Atlanta United 2 12 (5)
2020– FC Cincinnati 112 (32)
International career‡
2014–2015 United States U17 15 (6)
2016 United States U19 7 (1)
2016 United States U20 4 (0)
2023– United States 8 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 21, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 12, 2023

Club career

Atlanta United

Vázquez signed with Major League Soccer expansion club Atlanta United in December 2016 ahead of their inaugural season.[3]

On April 22, 2017, Vázquez played in his first competitive MLS match, coming on as a substitute against Real Salt Lake and scoring a goal in the final minute of stoppage time.[4][5]

Brandon Vázquez after the Atlanta United game on June 2, 2018

In his first two seasons with the club, under manager Tata Martino, Vázquez was deployed as a winger rather than his natural position of leading the line as a striker. As a reserve, Vázquez made 21 appearances and scored one goal over those two seasons, culminating with Atlanta winning the MLS Cup title in 2018.[3]

After scoring 4 goals in his previous 2 games, Vázquez earned his first MLS Start on June 26, 2019, in a 2–3 defeat to Toronto FC.[3]

FC Cincinnati

On November 19, 2019, Vázquez was selected by Nashville SC in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft. He was subsequently traded to FC Cincinnati in exchange for $150,000 in Targeted Allocation Money.[6]

After mainly appearing as a substitute, Vázquez made his breakthrough in the 2022 season and new manager Pat Noonan. Vázquez opened the season as the undisputed starter for the first time in his career.[7][8] After two poor results, Cincinnati took down Orlando City SC with a 2–1 victory on the strength of his brace. The first goal was a well-taken finish after a perfectly timed cutting run between the centre-backs, the second a redirected header off a cross.[9] The following week, Vázquez registered another brace and added an assist in a 3–1 win over Inter Miami.[10] In the 24th minute, he rose to win a cross, beating the defenders and goalkeeper to the ball. His insurance goal, another header, sealed back-to-back victories for Cincinnati.[8] Brandon Vazquez has already set the record for the most goals in a single season in FC Cincinnati history.[11] On August 3, Vázquez was selected for the 2022 MLS All-Star game as a replacement for striker Valentín Castellanos who was loaned by NYCFC to LaLiga side Girona FC after making the original 2022 roster.[12] Vázquez became the second FC Cincinnati player to ever be selected for an MLS All-Star roster, after attacking-midfielder teammate Luciano Acosta had already been chosen for the 2022 matchup against Liga MX All-Stars.[13]

International career

Born in the United States, Vázquez was eligible to play for Mexico. He represented the United States at the youth level, but had also been called up by Mexico.[14][15]

He was part of the United States U17 squad for the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship,[16] playing in four games in the tournament.[17][18][19][20]

Vázquez was then named to the United States squad for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[21] He played in two of the three group stage games, scoring against Croatia U17 and Chile U17 as the team finished last in their group and failed to advance from the group stage.[22][23]

He has also played for the United States at the under-19 and under-20 levels.[24][25]

Vazquez was called into the US senior national team's January Camp in 2023, which did not tie him to an international side.[26] Vazquez remained uncommitted, stating "nothing has changed [regarding his commitment at the international level]. Last year I was doing everything possible that I could control to give myself the best opportunity to get into the [US] World Cup roster... Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way, but you have to shake it off and start all over again. That is exactly what I am doing now, start fresh, with a lot of energy and a lot of excitement to be here."[27] Vázquez made his senior debut and start in an international friendly match against Serbia on January 25, 2023, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. He headed the lone US goal of the match via an assist from former club teammate Julian Gressel in the 29th minute of the match.[28]

Vazquez made his competitive debut for the US at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the opening group stage match, Vazquez scored a late equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw for the US versus Jamaica.[29] Vazquez scored against Trinidad & Tobago in a 6-0 rout, tallying the final goal. In his first ever Gold Cup knockout stage match, Vazquez scored an 88th minute go-ahead headed goal versus Canada.[30] Vazquez later missed his penalty shootout attempt, although the US rallied to defeat Canada at TQL Stadium to advance to the semi-finals.[31]

Personal life

On December 12, 2022, Vázquez married Jessica Fleck, whom he began dating during his second MLS season with Atlanta United.[32]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played October 21, 2023[33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup[lower-alpha 1]ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tijuana 2016–17 Liga MX —1 0——10
Atlanta United2017MLS13122——153
20188020——100
201911234——146
Total 32376——399
Atlanta United 2 2018United Soccer League62———62
2019USL63———63
Total 125———125
FC Cincinnati 2020 MLS 192———192
2021314———314
2022331810—2[lower-alpha 2]13619
202329843—3[lower-alpha 3]53616
Total 1123253—5612241
Career totals 15640139005617455
  1. Includes Copa MX and U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

International
As of match played July 12, 2023[34]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States 202384
Total84
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vazquez's goal.
List of international goals scored by Brandon Vasquez
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1January 25, 2023BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, United States1 Serbia1–01–2Friendly
2June 24, 2023Soldier Field, Chicago, United States4 Jamaica1–11–12023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3July 2, 2023Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, United States6 Trinidad and Tobago6–06–02023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
4July 9, 2023TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, United States7 Canada1–02–2
(3–2) (p)		2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honors

Atlanta United

FC Cincinnati

Individual

References
  1. "Adrián Ramos y Brandon Vázquez Debutaron Con Tijuana". Copa MX (in Spanish). August 17, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  2. "Brandon Vazquez". Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. "Atlanta United's Brandon Vazquez to make first MLS start vs. Toronto FC". Pro Soccer USA. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  4. Roberson, Doug. "Vazquez with dream debut for Atlanta United". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  5. "Recap: Real Salt Lake vs. Atlanta United FC 04/23/2017 | Matchcenter".
  6. "2019 Expansion Draft results: Inter Miami, Nashville SC make their picks". Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. Brennan, Pat (May 17, 2022). "FC Cincinnati: How Brandon Vazquez played with U.S. MNT manager Gregg Berhalter watching". The Enquirer. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  8. Joseph, Brendan (April 14, 2022). "SSFC Spotlight: Brandon Vazquez leads MLS scoring table". Stars and Stripes FC. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  9. Sigal, Jonathan (March 13, 2022). ""It's a huge relief": FC Cincinnati snap lengthy losing streak behind Brandon Vazquez brace | MLSSoccer.com". MLS. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. "FC Cincinnati wins again as Vazquez's brace beats Miami". ESPN. March 19, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  11. Pablo Bayona Sapag (July 26, 2022). "Brandon Vazquez — clubeleven". Clubelevenmag.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  12. mlssoccer. "Brandon Vazquez added to MLS All-Star Game roster as Taty Castellanos' replacement | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. fccincinnati. "Luciano Acosta named 2022 MLS All-Star | FC Cincinnati". fccincinnati. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  14. "INTERNATIONAL XOLOITZCUINTLES". www.xolosacademy.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  15. "Digging Deeper: What does Brandon Vazquez bring Atlanta United?". December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  16. "RICHIE WILLIAMS NAMES 20-PLAYER ROSTER FOR 2015 CONCACAF U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP". United States Soccer Federation. February 24, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  17. "Group A Leader U-17 MNT Blanks Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 at 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship". United States Soccer Federation. March 2, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  18. "U-17 MNT Rolls Past Guatemala 4-1 at CONCACAF U-17 Championship". United States Soccer Federation. March 5, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  19. "U-17 MNT Draws Honduras 2-2 at 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship". United States Soccer Federation. March 8, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  20. "U-17 MNT Falls 1-0 to Jamaica, Must Win Sunday Playoff Game to Qualify for FIFA U-17 World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  21. "Richie Williams Names 21-Player Roster for FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile". United States Soccer Federation. October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  22. "U-17 MNT Fights for 2-2 Draw with Croatia at U17 World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. October 20, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  23. "U-17 MNT Fall 4-1 to Host Chile at U-17 World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. October 23, 2015.
  24. "U-19 MNT vs. Miami FC". United States Soccer Federation. November 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  25. "U-20 MNT 2 vs. Japan 1: USA Wins NTC Invitational Title". United States Soccer Federation. July 3, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  26. "Twenty-Four Players Called For USMNT BioSteel January Training Camp To Kick Off 2026 FIFA World Cup Cycle". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  27. Serrano, Rodrigo (January 23, 2023). "Brandon Vázquez eager to debut with the USMNT but there's no decision yet". Diario AS. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  28. "USMNT vs. Serbia score: Brandon Vazquez scores in debut but Americans fall in first friendly since World Cup". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  29. "Vazquez's 88th-minute goal gives the US 1-1 draw with Jamaica in a CONCACAF Gold Cup opener". AP News. June 25, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  30. "USA vs Canada score, result, highlights as USMNT advances to Gold Cup semifinals on penalty shootout". www.sportingnews.com. July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  31. mlssoccer. "USAvsCAN 07-09-2023 | 2022 MLS Match Recap". mlssoccer. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  32. "Brandon Vázquez has shined for U.S. Soccer. Could they lose him to Mexico?". Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2023.
  33. "USA - Brandon Vázquez". Soccerway. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  34. Brandon Vázquez at National-Football-Teams.com
  35. Sial, Jonathan (September 30, 2023). "FC Cincinnati win 2023 MLS Supporters' Shield". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer.
  36. "2022 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
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