Adrian Zendejas

Adrián Zendejas Rodríguez (born August 30, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.

Adrian Zendejas
Personal information
Full name Adrián Zendejas Rodríguez
Date of birth (1995-08-30) August 30, 1995
Place of birth Chula Vista, California, United States
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Nashville SC
Number 13
Youth career
2008–2011 Nomads SC
2012–2013 San Diego Surf
2014–2016 Tijuana
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Swope Park Rangers 9 (0)
2017–2019 Sporting Kansas City 1 (0)
2017–2019 → Swope Park Rangers (loan) 42 (0)
2020– Nashville SC 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 20, 2019

Career

Youth

Zendejas grew up playing with Nomads SC and San Diego Surf of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy,[1] and for Hilltop High School,[2] before joining the under-20s of Liga MX side Tijuana.[3]

Professional

On June 30, 2016, Zendejas signed with United Soccer League side Swope Park Rangers.[4] He went 8-0-0 in his first eight starts. In helping Rangers to the USL Cup Final, he had a 0.36 goals against average and 0.87 save percentage,[5] both ranking best in the USL among all goalkeepers with at least eight appearances.[6]

In December 2016, Zendejas signed a Major League Soccer contract with Sporting Kansas City.[7] He began the 2017 MLS season as backup to Tim Melia, before re-joining Rangers on loan from Sporting KC.[8] In 25 USL appearances, he had 10 shutouts and a goals-against-average of 0.91, again regarded as one of USL's top goalkeepers. In the USL Cup Playoffs against OKC Energy, after making two saves in regulation, one save in extra time, and four saves in the penalty shootout, Zendejas himself scored the game-winning penalty kick that sent Swope Park to the USL Cup Final again.[9]

In 2018, Zendejas split time between starting on loan at Swope Park in USL and backing up Tim Melia in MLS. On June 6, Zendejas made his Sporting KC debut in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, shutting out Real Salt Lake over 90 minutes in a 2-0 victory. On June 18, he went 90 minutes again for Sporting KC in the Open Cup, in the Round of 16 against FC Dallas, notching five saves in a 3-2 victory.[10]

On November 19, 2019, Zendejas was traded to Nashville SC in exchange for $125,000 of Targeted Allocation Money and $50,000 of General Allocation Money.[11]

International

Zendejas is eligible to play for the United States due to his birth and upbringing in Chula Vista, California, and for Mexico through parentage.[12] He has expressed an interest in representing the United States.[13]

References

  1. "Adrian Zendejas". U.S. Soccer Development Academy. 2013-06-01.
  2. "Sporting KC vs. Colorado Rapids game guide". Sporting Kansas City. 2017-04-13.
  3. "Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente". xolos.com.mx. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  4. "Swope Park Rangers sign goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas | Sporting Kansas City". sportingkc.com. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  5. "Adrian Zendejas USL profile". USL Soccer. 2016-10-04.
  6. "2016 USL individual goalkeeper statistics". USL Soccer. 2016-10-04.
  7. "Adrian Zendejas Sporting KC profile". Sporting Kansas City. 2017-04-13.
  8. "Loan Update: Goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas recalled by Sporting KC". Sporting Kansas City. 2017-03-30.
  9. "USL Best of 2017 – Adrian Zendejas". USL Soccer. 2018-02-23.
  10. "Adrian Zendejas". Sporting Kansas City. 2019-02-14.
  11. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/11/19/miami-nashville-trades-following-mls-expansion-draft
  12. "Xolos: ¿Quién es Adrián Zendejas?". San Diego Red. 6 July 2015.
  13. "Getting to know Adrian Zendejas". SB Nation. 29 April 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.