New York City FC appear to be close to adding another player on loan, as Brazilian club Corinthians announced on their website on Tuesday that they’ve loaned striker Stiven Mendoza to the second-year club.
NYCFC did not comment on the announcement from Corinthians, but a source told MLSsoccer.com that no deal was done yet.
Mendoza, 23, began his pro career in his native Colombia in 2010 with Envigado. He played five seasons in his home country, playing two years in the top flight with Envigado before spending 2012 and 2013 on loan to second division clubs America de Cali and Cucuta Deportivo.
The 5-foot-7 forward returned to the first division in 2013 with Deportivo Cali, scoring two goals in 16 league appearances before moving to Indian Super League club Chennaiyin in 2014. He was transferred to Corinthians in 2015, scoring three goals in 18 appearances with the club before returning to Chennaiyin on loan in August. He led the club to the 2015 ISL title, scoring 13 goals in 16 games to win the league’s golden boot before his loan expired in December.
Mendoza represented Colombia at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in Nigeria and 2011 South American U-20 Championships in Peru.
Sporting KC adds quality depth with Diego Rubio loan
In need of attacking depth, Sporting KC made a big move on Tuesday to secure the services of a talented young forward.
Tuesday morning, Sporting Kansas City announced the loan signing of 22-year-old Chilean striker Diego Rubio from Real Valladolid of the Spanish Segunda Division. The young forward previously played for Portuguese powerhouse Sporting CP while also earning three caps with Chile’s senior team.
The addition of Rubio does several things for Sporting KC. Most importantly, it will help solve a depth problem that has plagued the team for the last few seasons. Ahead of the season, Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said his team needs to be smart with squad rotation now that Sporting has the CONCACAF Champions League group stage in the mix.
While reliable depth can be found at almost every position on the team, Rubio should bring some stability to the forward position. Sporting KC has a collection of experienced veterans and elready-proven young players at fullback and each midfield position. At center back, Sporting can back up Nuno Andre Coelho and Matt Besler with Ike Opara, Kevin Ellis and defensive midfielder/centerback Lawrence Olum.
Even before Sporting lost Krisztian Nemeth to Qatari side Al Gharafa, the team has experienced a lack of depth up top. With the wings squared away after the signings of Brad Davis and Justin Mapp, an addition at central forward makes a lot of sense.
In 2015, Sporting was able to test out the versatility of American international midfielder Graham Zusi, but it only magnified his inability to reach 100 percent health and made him less effective. When Sporting’s star forward Dom Dwyer was injured, Zusi lined up at forward and played as a false nine, as did versatile midfielder Jacob Peterson. At times, it worked because Nemeth was able to spearhead the offense, but in 2016 Sporting will need a real backup to Dwyer if they hope to achieve their domestic and international ambitions.
It appears Sporting may have found a missing piece in Rubio. Unlike 19-year-old homegrown forward Daniel Salloi, who the club signed this offseason, Rubio has a wealth of experience playing at the professional first-team level.
Rubio made 20 appearances for Sporting CP and spent last season with Real Valladolid. While with the Portuguese side, the young forward emerged as a start of the club’s youth team buy netting 22 goals in 52 appearances for the club’s B team.
At 22, Rubio could prove himself as a player deserving of a starting role at Sporting KC or, if his time at this club is unsuccessful, he will at least be an option off the bench. Even if Rubio never fully gets going, the loan deal provides flexibility, along with the possibility of bringing the forward in on a permanent basis.
Most importantly, Rubio is a center forward that can help the team in the here and now. For a team that has switched positions for many different players over the years, Sporting KC looks like it can enjoy some dependability at every position on the field in 2016.
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