Yerson Mosquera is a Wolves loanee to the MLS, and it’s fair to say his bid for game time has worked out well. He joined FC Cincinnati at the end of the winter transfer window earlier this year, and has played the majority of minutes available to him. FC Cincinnati are currently leading the US Supporters shield by a comfortable margin, and Mosquera is a part of that.
This is the first of many MLS focused content, I hope you enjoy.
His season so far
Yerson Mosquera has been a part of the MLS effort for the entire season since the MLS plays offseason. FC Cincinnati is a relatively new club so he expectations were loose for the season.
He’s played in 23 league games for them season which is due to a minor injury which kept him out for several games.
Information according to Sofascore
Mosqueras style of play
Mosquera is center back in the past, but for Cincy he has been deployed as a LWB in a five in the back formation. This could partly be down to their depth at center back, or just getting the best out of him.
You can tell from his season heatmap so far that he has been able to cover the left defensive side of the field consistently. It is probably beneficial in his development to engage on the ball this often.
Mosquera is a ball winning machine
I mentioned before that Mosquera in the MLS is playing out of position, but that doesn’t take away from his good performances overall. He is a 6’2 center back that is agile enough to play as a makeshift left wing back.
So far compared to other Next 12 league center backs he’s statistically been great. His 1.55 tackles won per game puts him in the top 4%! He seems to be making a lot of his tackles in his defensive third which is assumable, but his rate in the attacking third is commendable.
Another thing he seems to be doing great at is his interceptions. He averages about 2 a game which makes him a prolific ball hawk. The MLS standards are low, but they are rising. This is a refreshing sign to see from a defender playing in the MLS.
On the ball strength
I previously mentioned how playing Mosquera at left wing back could actually be beneficial to his on the ball skills. Everyone knows that in order to succeed in the premier league these days you need to have defenders that are confident on the ball.
Statistically speaking, he has had an average season in terms of his in possession stats. He isn’t a great dribbler by any means but remember he is a 6’2 defender. He get’s on the ball a good amount of times a game which is always promising to see him be involved in the play.
Yerson Mosquera Conclusion
Yerson Mosquera in the MLS has definitely been an interesting watch this season, but for more good than bad. The Columbian defender may not be playing at the level of what is required in the MLS, but he is still only 22 years old.
His loan move ends in December, which means he may have an opportunity to make his debut with Wolves in the latter part of the season. There are some other young center backs on the world stage who we recommend you to take a look at, or even MLS talent.
Thanks for reading!
