Brandon Vazquez Toledo (born October 14, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati.
![]() Vazquez in 2017 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Brandon Vazquez Toledo[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 24)[2] | ||
Place of birth | San Diego, California, United States[2] | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | FC Cincinnati | ||
Number | 19 | ||
Youth career | |||
2013–2016 | Tijuana | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2019 | Atlanta United | 32 | (3) |
2018–2019 | Atlanta United 2 | 12 | (5) |
2020– | FC Cincinnati | 83 | (24) |
National team‡ | |||
2014–2015 | United States U17 | 15 | (6) |
2016 | United States U19 | 10 | (4) |
2016 | United States U20 | 4 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 10, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 10, 2019 |
Vazquez signed with Major League Soccer expansion club, Atlanta United, in December 2016 ahead of their inaugural season.[3]
On April 22, 2017, Vazquez 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]
In his first two seasons with the club, under manager Tata Martino, Vazquez was deployed as a winger rather than his natural position of leading the line. As a reserve, Vazquez 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, Vazquez earned his first MLS Start on June 26, 2019, in a 2–3 defeat to Toronto FC.[3]
On November 19, 2019, Vazquez 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, Vazquez made his breakthrough in the 2022 season. Vazquez 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, Vazquez 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, Vazquez 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] Vazquez 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]
Born in the United States, Vazquez is eligible to play for Mexico. He has represented the United States at the youth level, but has 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]
Vazquez 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]
Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Tijuana | 2016–17 | Liga MX | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Atlanta United | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||
2018 | Major League Soccer | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
2019 | Major League Soccer | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 14 | 6 | |||
Total | 32 | 3 | 7 | 6 | — | — | 39 | 9 | ||||
Atlanta United 2 | 2018 | United Soccer League | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | |||
2019 | USL Championship | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | ||||
Total | 12 | 5 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | |||||
FC Cincinnati | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 19 | 2 | — | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
2021 | Major League Soccer | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | 31 | 4 | ||||
2022 | Major League Soccer | 33 | 18 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 36 | 19 | ||
Total | 83 | 24 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 86 | 25 | |||
Career totals | 127 | 32 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 138 | 39 |
Atlanta United
Individual
FC Cincinnati – current squad | |
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