Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Franco Nicolás Escobar | ||
Date of birth | 21 February 1995 | ||
Place of birth | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Right-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
Number | 2 | ||
Youth career | |||
Newell's Old Boys | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2015–2017 | Newell's Old Boys | 34 | (0) |
2018–2021 | Atlanta United | 63 | (2) |
2019 | Atlanta United 2 | 1 | (0) |
2021 | → Newell's Old Boys (loan) | 7 | (0) |
2022 | Los Angeles FC | 19 | (1) |
2023– | Houston Dynamo | 28 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 July 2023 |
Franco Nicolás Escobar (born 21 February 1995) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.
Escobar began his career in the Newell's Old Boys academy. He made his first team debut on 7 June 2015, getting the start against Boca Juniors in a 4–0 loss. [2] He made 15 appearances during his debut season as Newell's finished 16th in the table. [3] Escobar made 6 appearances during the 2016 season and 12 in the 2016–17 season, playing as both a rightback and a centerback. He made 2 appearance during the 2017–18 season prior to being sold. [3]
On 8 December 2017 Escobar signed with MLS side Atlanta United. [4] On 3 March 2018 he made his debut for Atlanta, playing 90 minutes in a 4–0 loss to the Houston Dynamo in the opening match of the season. [5] He suffered a concussion on 17 March in a 4–1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps that would keep him out for the next 4 games. [6] [5] On 5 May, late in a 2–1 against the Chicago Fire, Escobar collided with Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan and injured his chest. [7] Escobar would miss the next 3 matches. He scored his first goal for Atlanta on 21 October, helping Atanta to a 2–1 win over Chicago. [5] Escobar finished the regular season with 22 appearances and 1 goal as Atlanta finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference. [5] [8] During Atlanta's playoff run, Escobar played every minute of the 5 games, scored 2 goals, and had an assist, including one in the final where Atlanta beat the Portland Timbers 2–0. [8] [9] He was named to the MLS Cup Playoffs Best XI. [10]
On 16 January 2019, on the first day of preseason, Escobar suffered a fractured right clavicle. [11] The injury forced him to miss all of Atlanta's CONCACAF Champions League matches as well as the first 3 games of the MLS season. After making an appearance for Atlanta United 2 to regain fitness, he made his first MLS match of the season in a 2–0 loss to the Columbus Crew on 30 March. [12] Escobar ended the regular season with 1 goal and 3 assists in 25 appearances, helping Atlanta finish 2nd in the East. [13] [14] In the opening round of the playoffs, Escobar scored the lone goal to give Atlanta a 1–0 win over the New England Revolution. [12] He played every minute of Atlanta's 3 playoff games, with the run ending in the Conference Finals following a 2–0 loss to Toronto FC. [12] In the 2019 Campeones Cup, Atlanta beat Club América 3–2, but Escobar was forced out of the game due to injury. [15]
In a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Escobar played in 16 of the 23 matches and had 2 assists. [13] Atlanta finished the season 12th in the conference, missing the playoffs for the first time in team history. [16] In CCL play, Escobar made 3 appearances as Atlanta fell to Club América in the quarterfinals 3–1 on aggregate. [2]
On 9 February 2021, Escobar returned to Newell's Old Boys on a loan deal until 1 January 2022. [17] On 16 February, Escobar broke his foot ( fifth metatarsal) in training. [18] [19] He made his first appearance of the loan on 17 July, playing 58 minutes in a 3–2 win over Talleres de Córdoba. [20] In Newell's next match, Escobar had to be subbed off due to pain in his foot. [21] He would miss the next 18 matches. [20] He recovered from his injury to play in the final 5 games the year, ending the season with 7 appearances. [20]
On 12 December 2021, Atlanta traded Escobar to Los Angeles FC in exchange for $600,000 in General Allocation Money. [22] He made his LAFC debut on 26 February, playing the full match in a 3–0 win over the Colorado Rapids in the opening game of the season. [23] On 6 March, LAFC drew 1–1 with the Portland Timbers, Escobar was forced off 13 minutes into the game with a calf injury that would keep him out for 6 games. [23] [24] He scored his first goal for LAFC on 7 May, his second game back from the injury, to give LAFC a 2–2 draw with the Philadelphia Union. [23] Escobar missed another 4 MLS games plus an Open Cup game in May due to his calf. [23] [25] He also missed 3 games due to a concussion at the end of the season. [26] Escobar ended the season with 1 goal and 1 assist in 19 regular season appearances, helping LAFC win the Supporters' Shield. [23] He made just one appearance in the playoffs, coming on as a late sub in a 3–0 win over Austin FC in the conference final. [23] LAFC would go onto win MLS Cup 2022 3–0 on penalties against Philadelphia. [26]
Escobar's contract expired following the 2022 season. [27]
On 12 January 2023, Escobar signed with the Houston Dynamo. [28]
Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | League Cup [b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Newell's Old Boys | 2015 | Primera División | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
2016 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
2016–17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
2017–18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
Total | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
Atlanta United | 2018 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||
2019 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
2020 | 16 [d] | 0 | — | — | 3 [e] | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
Total | 63 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 5 | ||
Atlanta United 2 (loan) | 2019 | USL Championship | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
Newell's Old Boys (loan) | 2021 | Primera División | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
LAFC | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||
Houston Dynamo | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
Career total | 124 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 146 | 6 |
Atlanta United
Los Angeles FC
Houston Dynamo
Escobar obtained a green card in 2020, classifying him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. [31]