Randy Mendoza (born March 21, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a defender for

Tacoma Defiance Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Sounder ...

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS club ...

Early life and education

Mendoza was raised in

Santa Paula, California Santa Paula ( Spanish for "St. Paula") is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. Situated amid the orchards of the Santa Clara River Valley, the city advertises itself to tourists as the "Citrus Capital of the World". Santa Pa ...

and attended Santa Paula High School where he played soccer. He continued his education at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

where he played for the

Golden Eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds o ...

in 2014. He appeared in 21 games before transferring to the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the ...

. He was a student-athlete for the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the ...

team from 2015 to 2017.

Club career

While in college, Mendoza played for

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

clubs

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the ...

and

SIMA Águilas SIMA Águilas were an amateur soccer team based in Montverde, Florida that competed in USL League Two. The team was affiliated with the Montverde Academy. History SIMA Águilas was announced as a Premier Development League USL League T ...

while maintaining NCAA eligibility. Mendoza signed professional terms with

Orlando City B Orlando City B (or OCB for short) is an American soccer club that began play in 2016 and currently plays in MLS Next Pro. Owned by Orlando City SC and based at the Orlando City training facility in Kissimmee, the club plays its home games at Os ...

in February 2019. He made his professional debut on March 30, 2019, against

FC Tucson FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women’s team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then joine ...

and was sent off in the 45th minute. On June 12, 2019, Mendoza was part of the Orlando City senior team's traveling squad for their

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

Fourth Round game against

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

team

Memphis 901 Memphis 901 FC is an American professional soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. Stadium The club currently plays on the grounds of AutoZone Park, a baseball stad ...

. Mendoza appeared as a stoppage time substitute as Orlando won 3–1. On February 25, 2020, Mendoza was announced as a new signing for

Stumptown Athletic Stumptown AC, formerly Stumptown Athletic, is an American professional soccer team that plays in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club is based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. History Following an initi ...

of the

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

. On March 15, 2021, Mendoza was announced as one of four new signings by

side

References

External links

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Randy Mendoza
at

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

Randy Mendoza
at

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I ...

Randy Mendoza
at

Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles The Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles (also Cal State LA Golden Eagles) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Los Angeles in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Golden Eagles compete as members of the Cali ...

1996 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders People from Santa Paula, California UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players Ventura County Fusion players SIMA Águilas players Orlando City SC players Orlando City B players Stumptown AC players Tacoma Defiance players Soccer players from Ventura County, California USL League One players USL League Two players National Independent Soccer Association players USL Championship players MLS Next Pro players {{US-footy-defender-stub