Olger Escobar

Olger Escobar
Personal information
Full name Olger Armando Escobar Real
Date of birth (2006-09-11) 11 September 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth Boston, Massachusetts, United States[1]
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, winger, striker
Team information
Current team
 New England Revolution II
Number 19
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– New England Revolution II 30 (0)
International career‡
2023 Guatemala U17 5 (4)
2024 Guatemala U18 4 (3)
2023- Guatemala U20 10 (5)
2023– Guatemala 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024

Olger Armando Escobar Real (born 11 September 2006) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder, winger or striker for New England Revolution II. Born in the United States, he plays for the Guatemala national team.

Early life

As a youth player, Escobar joined the youth academy of American side New England Revolution. He helped the club win the league.[2]

Club career

New England Revolution

Escobar started his career with American side New England Revolution II, a reserve team for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. On 22 April 2023, he debuted for the club during a 0–1 loss to New York Red Bulls II. Later that year, on 20 October 2023, it was announced that Escobar would be named New England Revolution’s Player of the Year for the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season.[3]

International career

Youth career

Escobar has represented Guatemala internationally. He played for the Guatemala national under-17 football team at the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, in which he scored 4 goals in 5 appearances.[4] In 2024, Escobar played with the Guatemala national under-18 football team at the UEFA Friendship Tournament U18 hosted in Turkey. He would score 3 goals in 4 appearances, helping Guatemala finish fifth place at the tournament.[5][6] Later, that same year Escobar was called up to the Guatemala national under-20 football for the 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. On 27 July 2024, he would score a hat-trick in a 5-1 win against Haiti, helping Guatemala reach the Quarter-finals.[7] 3 days later, in the Quarter-finals match against the United States, in the final minutes of the match Escobar missed a penalty to tie the game. Guatemala would loose 1-0 and fail to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[8]

Senior career

Olger Escobar received his first Guatemala senior call up in the month of November 2023 for a friendly match against Jamaica.[9] On 11 November 2023, Escobar would make his debut against Jamaica, coming off as a substitute in the 74th minute replacing Oscar Santis. The result would be a 0-0 draw.[10]

On 5 June 2024, Olger Escobar would appear for a second time in a Guatemala 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Dominica. Escobar would later on assist José Martínez in a 6-0 win.[11] That same year, on 1 September 2024 in a friendly against Uruguay, he would assist the equalizer goal in a 1-1 draw. He was praised for his performance by Guatemala’s coach Luis Fernando Tena.[12]

Style of play

Escobar mainly operates as a midfielder, winger, or striker. He operated as a winger while playing for American side New England Revolution II and operated as a midfielder while playing for the Guatemala national under-17 football team.[13]

Personal life

Escobar is the son of Don Armando Escobar, a footballer who moved to the United States in hopes of having a career. He traces his heritage to Escuintla, Guatemala.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 September 2024[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
New England Revolution II 2023 MLS Next Pro 16 0 0 0 — 0 0 16 0
2024 MLS Next Pro 13 0 0 0 — 0 0 10 0
Career total 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 0

International

As of match played 15 October 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Guatemala 2023 1 0
2024 4 0
Total 5 0

References

  1. ^ "Olger Escobar". MLSNextPro.
  2. ^ "Olger Escobar on his journey through the Revolution pathway". nesoccerjournal.com.
  3. ^ "Olger Escobar named 2022-23 UnitedHealthcare Revolution Academy Player of the Year". revolutionsoccer.net.
  4. ^ "Quién es Olger Escobar, el goleador de la Selección Sub-17 de Guatemala". republica.gt.
  5. ^ "GUATEMALA SE LLEVA EL QUINTO LUGAR DEL UEFA FRIENDSHIP TOURNAMENT". emisorasunidas.com.
  6. ^ "New competitions, cultures and connections: First UEFA Friendship Tournaments take place". uefa.com.
  7. ^ "Olger Escobar fue la figura del partido con un triplete, además Marvin Ávila se estrenó en el campeonato y Matthew Evans cerró la goleada". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Guatemala se despide del Premundial Sub 20 tras fallar un penal en los últimos minutos". Prensa Libre. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Revolution II forward Olger Escobar called up to Guatemala National Team". New England Revolution.
  10. ^ "Olger Escobar y su debut con Guatemala: "Quería seguir jugando, que se agregaran más minutos"". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish).
  11. ^ "Guatemala vs. Dominica (6 Jun, 2024) Live Score"". ESPN Australia.
  12. ^ "Luis Fernando Tena se refiere a la actuación de Olger Escobar: "Los jóvenes vienen empujando"" [Luis Fernando Tena refers to Olger Escobar's performance: "The young players are pushing"]. ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). 1 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Olger Escobar, el juvenil de 17 años que apunta a debut contra Jamaica con la Selección de Guatemala". prensalibre.com.
  14. ^ "Olger Escobar, el nacido en Estados Unidos que honra a sus padres jugando para Guatemala". espndeportes.espn.com.
  15. ^ Olger Escobar at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  16. ^ Olger Escobar at National-Football-Teams.com