Beto Avila (soccer)

Roberto "Beto" Avila (born October 16, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for MLS Next Pro club Sporting Kansas City II.

Beto Avila
Personal information
Full nameRoberto Avila
Date of birth (2000-10-16) October 16, 2000 (age 23)
Place of birthAustin, Texas, United States
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)Attacking midfielder, forward
Team information
Current team
Sporting Kansas City II
Number99
Youth career
2014–2016Austin Texans SC
2017–2018Houston Dynamo
2018–2019Lonestar SC
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2021Austin Bold31(4)
2021FC Edmonton (loan)6(0)
2022–2023Houston Dynamo 219(7)
2022–2023Houston Dynamo8(0)
2023Charleston Battery (loan)23(3)
2024–Sporting Kansas City II0(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 18, 2023

Career

Austin Bold

On April 22, 2019, Avila signed an academy contract with USL Championship side Austin Bold.[1] He made his debut for Austin on May 14, coming off the bench in a 2–0 win over the Tulsa Roughnecks in an Open Cup match.[2] On August 17, he made his league debut, coming on as a substitute in a 5–1 win vs Tulsa.[3] Austin qualified for the playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Western Conference, but Avila did not appear in either of Austin's 2 playoff games.[3][4]

On September 5, 2020, Avila scored his first goal for Austin in a 1–1 draw against Tulsa.[5] In a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Avila appeared in 10 of Austin's 16 games, making 3 starts and scoring 2 goals.[5]

On June 14, 2021, Avila joined Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton on loan.[6] He made his debut for Edmonton on June 26, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Atlético Ottawa.[7] In August, after making 6 appearances for Edmonton, Avila was recalled by Austin.[8] He scored his first goal of the season on August 23, helping Austin to a 1–1 draw against New Mexico United.[7] Avila ended the season with 18 appearances and 2 goals for Austin.[7]

Houston Dynamo

On February 17, 2022, Avila signed with MLS Next Pro side Houston Dynamo 2, the reserve team of MLS club Houston Dynamo.[9] After a strong start to the season for Dynamo 2, Avila made his debut for the first team on April 19, setting up Sam Junqua in the 90+3rd minute to give Houston a 2–1 over RIo Grande Valley FC in an Open Cup match.[2] On May 6, Avila signed a first team contract with the Dynamo.[10] He made his MLS debut on May 14, coming off the bench in a 2–0 win against Nashville SC.[11] Avila ended the year with 11 first team appearances, 8 as a sub in MLS plus 3 appearances in the Open Cup, while also scoring 6 goals and recording 4 assists in 14 games with Dynamo 2.[12][13]

Charleston Battery

On May 26, 2023, Avila was moved on loan to USL Championship side Charleston Battery for the remainder of their 2023 season.[14][15] Avila scored his first goal for the club on June 24 against Memphis 901 FC. He ended the regular season with three goals and two assists across 23 appearances en route to helping Charleston finish 3rd in the Eastern Conference standings and make their first playoff appearance since 2020.

Personal life

Born in the United States, Avila is of Mexican descent and holds dual citizenship.[16]

Career statistics

As of February 24, 2023[17][12][18]

ClubSeasonLeagueCup[a]PlayoffsContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Austin Bold2019USL30100040
2020102102
2021182182
Total314100000324
FC Edmonton (loan)2021CPL6060
Houston Dynamo 22022MLS Next Pro13511146
Houston Dynamo2022MLS8030110
20230000000000
Total80300000110
Career total5894011006310

References