Jhegson Méndez

Sebas Méndez

Méndez with Ecuador U20 in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Jhegson Sebastián Méndez Carabalí
Date of birth	(1997-04-26) 26 April 1997
Place of birth	Mira, Ecuador
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Orlando City
Number	8
Youth career
2010–2011	Norte América
2011–2015	Independiente DV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2018	Independiente DV	81	(4)
2015–2016	→ Cultural Leonesa (loan)	1	(0)
2019–	Orlando City	28	(0)
International career‡
2015	Ecuador U17	4	(0)
2015–2017	Ecuador U20	10	(0)
2018–	Ecuador	15	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 August 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2019

Jhegson Sebastián Méndez Carabalí (born 26 April 1997) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Orlando City in MLS and the Ecuador national team.

Club career

Independiente DV

Méndez joined the Independiente del Valle academy in 2011. By 2014 he had been promoted to the club's B team and made his first-team debut on 7 March 2015 in a victory over L.D.U. Loja in the Serie A Primera Etapa. After two substitute appearances, Méndez was loaned to Cultural Leonesa in Spain, making one substitute appearance for the club on 29 November 2015. Upon his return to the club, Méndez had to wait until gameweek 15 of the 2016 season to play his next game, appearing as a substitute in a defeat to Fuerza Amarilla on 13 May 2016. He followed that up by playing the full 90 minutes in six of the final ten games of the Serie A Primera Etapa and a further 12 appearances in the Segunda Etapa as he cemented himself as a first-team regular.

Orlando City

On 28 December 2018, Méndez signed to Major League Soccer team Orlando City. He made his debut in the season opener at home to New York City FC on March 2, 2019. In July 2019, Méndez was part of the Orlando City team alongside Nani and Chris Mueller that won the 2019 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, beating teams from the MLS All-Stars and Atlético Madrid to win the $25,000 prize for charity.

International career

Méndez was a member of Ecuador’s 2017 South American U-20 Championship squad which reached the final of the tournament.

In October 2018, Méndez was called up to the senior Ecuador national football team by manager Hernán Darío Gómez for the first time. He made his debut on 11 September 2018, playing 73 minutes in a 2–0 friendly victory over Gutemala at Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois. In May 2019, he was called into the squad for the 2019 Copa América, his first senior international tournament. After sitting out the first group game, Méndez started against Chile and drew a foul from goalkeeper Gabriel Arias to win a penalty, Ecuador's only goal of a 2–1 defeat. He started the following game, a 1–1 draw with Japan. Ecuador were eliminated after finishing bottom of Group C with one point.

Career statistics

Club

As of 11 August 2020

Club	Season	Division	League		Cup		Continental		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Apps	Goals	Goals	Apps	Goals
Independiente del Valle	2015	Serie A	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		2	0
	2016		19	0	0	0	0	0	—		19	0
	2017		20	1	0	0	0	0	—		20	1
	2018		40	2	0	0	2	0	—		42	2
	Total		81	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	83	3
Cultural Leonesa (loan)	2015–16	Segunda División B	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Orlando City	2019	MLS	23	0	2	0	—		—		25	0
	2020		5	0	0	0	—		4	0	9	0
	Total		28	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	34	0
Career Total			110	3	2	0	2	0	4	0	118	3

International

Statistics accurate as of match played 20 November 2019.

Ecuador
Year	Apps	Goals
2018	5	0
2019	10	0
Total	15	0

External links

• Sebastian Mendez at Major League Soccer
• Jhegson Sebastian Mendez Carabal at Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (in Spanish)
• Seba: Jhegson Sebastián Méndez Carabalí at BDFutbol
• J. Méndez at Soccerway