Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications
Philadelphia Union II announced Wednesday that it has acquired 18.0 year-old attacking midfielder Giovanny Sequera on loan for 2024 from Venezuelan first division side Metropolitanos FC. The loan has a purchase option.
Sequera has played for the Venezuelan first division side’s U20 team primarily. He also played for Venezuela’s U17 national team last year in that age group’s FIFA World Cup in Indonesia.
Two different usually responsible internet sources reported the loan last December. Sequera probably was “Trialist 1” who appeared in most of Union II’s preseason friendlies in Florida. Direct observation of a Union II practice February 22 gave further credence to those assumptions when a short but well-muscled player who associated with other Spanish speakers during water breaks was overheard being forcefully complimented, “Well done, Gio” during an exercise.
Spanish speaking assistant coach Anthony Flores remains on the sidelines at practice. Randy Meneses who has already been announced and was probably Trialist 2 will also benefit from his explanations, as will Bolivian Jamir Berdecio when he is present.
FIFA lists Sequera as having played for the Venezuelan U17s at the Indonesia U17 World Cup last November.
- He started Venezuela’s first match November 12 against New Zealand, a 3-0 win, a central midfielder substituting off after 77 minutes.
- He started their second match November 15 against Mexico as a forward but received a red card in the 40th minute. The match ended tied 2-2.
- He was suspended for the final group match on November 18 against eventual champions Germany, a 3-0 loss.
Venezuela tied Mexico on points for second place, but “El Tri” advanced by placing ahead of them on goal difference 2-0.
365soccer.com credits Sequera with an assist in his two world-cup appearances. It lists six further appearances in the South American U17 tournament that qualified Venezuela for Indonesia 2023. For his club side, the website lists him with four 2023 Liga FUTVE (Venezuela’s primera division) appearances including one start, and two appearances in the South American club tournament Copa Libertadores (Metropolitanos qualified by winning Liga FUTVE in 2022).
In practice Sequera appears to be quick and pacey. He stands only 5’3”. The questions will be whether he can stand up to the physicality and pace of MLS NEXT Pro sufficiently well to affect matches, and whether he can become instinctive in playing the organization’s difficult system of pressing cues and transition. The explosively aggressive mentality is already there.
Coach LeBlanc thinks of him as a eight or a ten positionally.
Do you know if he will be eligible to play Sunday?
If he’s a 10 / diamond head, sight unseen I’m in love.
As I type, I do not. Sorry.
My assumption is that probably they should be, since the loan has been known since December. But stranger things have happened.
Vazquez is ahead of Sequera on any depth chart at the moment. He was with the first team all preseason and in the Flamengo game he looked to me like he was a 10.
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Sequera is well muscled but small, listed variously as 5’5″ to 5’3″. He’s fine in Union II practice. We’ll see about games. To the best of my knowledge he has not practiced with the first team.