Milton Valenzuela

Last updated

Milton Valenzuela
Milton Valenzuela 2017.jpg
Valenzuela with the Argentina U20 in 2017
Personal information
Full name Milton Nahuel Valenzuela
Date of birth (1998-08-13) 13 August 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Fullback
Team information
Current team
 Lugano
Number 23
Youth career
2013–2016 Newell's Old Boys
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2016–2019 Newell's Old Boys 13 (0)
2018 → Columbus Crew (loan) 30 (1)
2019–2021 Columbus Crew 33 (0)
2022– Lugano 68 (4)
International career‡
2017–2018 Argentina U20 10 (0)
2021 Argentina U23 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 July 2021

Milton Nahuel Valenzuela (born 13 August 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defender for Swiss club Lugano.

Contents

Club career

Newell's Old Boys

Valenzuela is a youth exponent from Newell's Old Boys, having joined the club at the age of 14. [1] He broke into the first team at the age of 17, making his league debut on 6 February 2016 against San Martín de San Juan in a 2–1 away defeat in Rosario. [2] While never becoming a permanent feature with the first team after his break through, Valenzuela made 13 league appearances for the club, along with 3 cup appearances, over three seasons.

Because of his youth and lack of playing time, on January 26, 2018, Valenzuela was sent on a year long loan to Columbus Crew SC of Major League Soccer, with an option to buy at the end of the loan. [3] After a successful season with Columbus in MLS, the Crew exercised their purchase option at the end of the 2018 season and Valenzuela ended his time with his boyhood club. [4]

Columbus Crew

Valenzuela made his debut for Columbus on 3 March 2018, playing 90 minutes in a 2–0 win against Toronto FC. [5] He scored his first professional goal on 24 March 2018 in a 3–1 win against D.C. United. [6] Over the course of the season he made 30 appearances with 29 starts. [4] Valenzuela was an immediate success for Columbus, and over the course of the season, became one of the league's top attacking defenders. [4] Valenzuela completed 27 crosses from the run of play, first among defenders in the league, and was among the best tacklers in the league winning 57 out of 87. Moreover, the defender also scored one goal and produced six assists. [4]

On 21 December 2018, it was announced that Valenzuela's immensely successful first season in Columbus had caused the team to exercise their purchase option signing Valenzuela permanently ahead of their 2019 season. [7] However, despite an encouraging preseason, Valenzuela suffered a tear in his ACL during training and would be out for the entirety of the 2019 season. [8]

Valenzuela returned from injury for Columbus during the 2020 season. He made a total of 24 appearances and was part of the team that won the 2020 MLS Cup. [9]

During the 2021 season, Valenzuela played in only 14 of the Crew's 34 regular season games, dealing with hamstring issues throughout the majority of the year. [10] On April 28, Valenzuela scored his only goal of the season against Monterrey in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal. [11]

Lugano

On 30 January 2022, Valenzuela signed a contract with Lugano in Switzerland until 30 June 2025. [12]

Personal life

Before moving to Columbus, Ohio, Valenzuela lived with his entire family in Argentina. [13] He admitted that there was a learning curve that comes with moving from Argentina to the United States, while also living by himself for the first time. [13] However, he believes that these experiences will help him become a better person and a stronger footballer. [13]

Career statistics

ClubSeasonLeagueCupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newell's Old Boys 2016 Argentine Primera División 2000–20
2016–17 30001040
2017–18 9020–110
Total1402000170
Columbus Crew 2018 Major League Soccer 3011030341
2019 0000–00
2020 190–50240
Total4911090581
Career Total6313090751

Honours

Columbus Crew

Lugano

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Crew</span> American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio

The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The Crew are currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family and former team physician Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in club history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federico Higuaín</span> Argentine footballer

Federico Fernando Higuaín is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward and attacking midfielder. He is currently the head coach for MLS Next Pro club Inter Miami II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Afful</span> Ghanaian footballer

Harrison Afful is a Ghanaian former footballer who played as a fullback. He appeared previously for Feyenoord Academy, Espérance de Tunis, and Columbus Crew and spent time on loan at Asante Kotoko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Jiménez (soccer)</span> American soccer player

Hector Osvaldo Jiménez is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Santos (footballer, born 1988)</span> Portuguese footballer

Pedro Miguel Martins Santos is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a full-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youness Mokhtar</span> Moroccan-Dutch footballer

Youness Mokhtar is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Derde Divisie club DVS '33. Born in the Netherlands, Mokhtar has represented both his native country and Morocco internationally at youth level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolai Næss</span> Norwegian footballer (born 1993)

Nicolai Næss is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Stabæk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waylon Francis</span> Costa Rican football player (born 1990)

Waylon Dwayne Francis Box is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Liberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Sweat</span> American professional soccer player (born 1991)

Benjamin Sweat is an American former professional soccer player who played as a left-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Zelarayán</span> Footballer (born 1992)

Lucas Manuel Zelarayán is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Fateh. Born in Argentina, he plays for the Armenia national team.

The 2015 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twentieth season of existence, and their twentieth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer.

Kalen Ryden is an American soccer player who currently plays for New Mexico United in the USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristian Martínez (Panamanian footballer)</span> Panamanian footballer (born 1997)

Cristian Jesús Martínez is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ironi Kiryat Shmona and the Panama national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zack Steffen</span> American soccer player (born 1995)

Zackary Thomas Steffen is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artur (footballer, born 1996)</span> Brazilian footballer

José Artur de Lima Junior, commonly known simply as Artur, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo as a midfielder. Previously, he played in his native Brazil for São Paulo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Crognale</span> American professional soccer player

Alex Crognale is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender.

The 2018 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twenty-third season of existence, and their twenty-third consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Columbus also competed in the U.S. Open Cup, and took part in the Pacific Rim Cup and Carolina Challenge Cup during preseason. The season covered the period from November 30, 2017, to the start of the 2019 Major League Soccer season.

The 2019 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twenty-fourth season of existence and their twenty-fourth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. This was the club's first season under head coach Caleb Porter. Columbus also competed in the U.S. Open Cup and took part in the Carolina Challenge Cup during preseason. The season covered the period from November 12, 2018 to the start of the 2020 Major League Soccer season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2020</span> 2020 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2020 was the 25th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and was played at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match was originally set to take place on November 7, 2020, but was postponed to December 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the adjusted MLS season schedule. The match was contested by Columbus Crew SC and Seattle Sounders FC, the defending champions from MLS Cup 2019.

Miguel Berry is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

References

  1. ↑ "Crew SC adds defender Valenzuela, 19, as DP". espn.com. ESPN. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "San Martín San Juan vs. Newell's Old Boys". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Crew SC sign Argentina U-20 left back Milton Valenzuela as Young DP". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Schudel, Ralph (21 December 2018). "Crew SC acquire Valenzuela on permanent transfer". massivereport.com. Massive Report. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "Toronto FC 0 - 2 Columbus Crew SC". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 3 - 1 D.C. United". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC acquires Argentine defender Milton Valenzuela on a permanent transfer from Newell's Old Boys as a Young Designated Player". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Myers, Jacob (5 February 2019). "Crew SC reacquires Waylon Francis after Milton Valenzuela suffers serious knee injury". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. ↑ Straus, Brian (13 December 2020). "Resilient at Their Core, Crew Are Fitting MLS Cup Champions in 2020". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Myers, Jacob. "Milton Valenzuela trying to salvage injury-riddled season, help Crew make playoffs". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Columbus Crew vs. Monterrey - Football Match Report - April 28, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "IL TERZINO MILTON VALENZUELA IN ARRIVO DA COLUMBUS" (Press release) (in Italian). Lugano. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 Erickson, Andrew. "Crew SC | Milton Valenzuela, from Argentina, impresses at age 20". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  14. ↑ svizzera, RSI Radiotelevisione. "Tripudio bianconero, la Coppa è del Lugano!". rsi.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.