Cristian Penilla
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Anderson Penilla Caicedo | ||
| Date of birth | May 2, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Esmeraldas, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Mushuc Runa | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ESPOLI | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | ESPOLI | 60 | (8) |
| 2012 | Deportivo Quito | 12 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Barcelona SC | 65 | (12) |
| 2015–2018 | Pachuca | 28 | (4) |
| 2016 | → Barcelona SC (loan) | 14 | (7) |
| 2016–2017 | → Morelia (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Chapecoense (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2018 | → New England Revolution (loan) | 33 | (12) |
| 2019–2020 | New England Revolution | 47 | (6) |
| 2021–2022 | Club Deportivo Cuenca | 14 | (1) |
| 2022 | → Barcelona SC (loan) | 25 | (2) |
| 2023 | Delfín SC | 18 | (1) |
| 2024 | Libertad | 5 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Ecuador | 2 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 November 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 October 2014 | |||
Cristian Anderson Penilla Caicedo (born 2 May 1991) is an Ecuadorian football winger who plays for Serie A side, Mushuc Runa S.C..[1]
Club career
Penilla joined Barcelona in January 2013 from Deportivo Quito, one year after he left ESPOLI for Deportivo Quito. In his first season with Barcelona he scored six goals out of 32 league games.[2] On December 24, 2014, it was confirmed that Penilla would join Pachuca.[3]
New England Revolution
On January 23, 2018, Penilla was loaned to the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.[4] He made his Revolution debut (and first start) on March 3, in the 2018 New England Revolution season opener, a 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union.[5] He made his home debut and notched his first Revolution assist the following week in a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids, setting up Diego Fagundez's 48th minute goal.[6]
He scored his first goal for the Revolution on March 31 in a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo.[7] Penilla recorded the fastest brace in club history on May 12, scoring in the 4th and 7th minutes of the club's 3-2 victory over Toronto FC.[8]
Penilla led the Revolution in appearances (33), starts (33), and goals (12) during the 2018 season, additionally notching 7 assists.[9] He was named to the MLS Team of the Week five times during the season.[10] Penilla was named Midnight Riders Man of the Year,[11] Revolution Player's Player of the Year, and Revolution team MVP, winning the club's golden boot.[12] New England made his move permanent at the end of their 2018 season.[13]
In the 2019 New England Revolution season, Penilla recorded 6 goals and 8 assists. He made his 50th MLS appearance on July 17, a match in which he notched two assists coming off the bench as a 68th minute substitute against the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 4-0 win.[14]
In the abbreviated 2020 New England Revolution season, Penilla made 17 appearances, recording four assists. He suffered a fracture to his left foot in the Revolution's October 11 2-1 win over New York City FC, requiring him to undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season.[15] The Revolution declined his contract option on December 8, 2020.[16]
C.D. Cuenca
In June 2021, Penilla signed for Ecuadorian Serie A club C.D. Cuenca.[17]
International career
Penilla was called for Friendlies against United States and El Salvador on October 10 and 14th, 2014 respectively. Penilla made his debut for Ecuador against the United States on October 10, 2014.
International goals
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 October 2014 | Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, United States | El Salvador | 5–1 | 5–1 | International friendly |
Career statistics
Club
- As of March 30, 2016
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| ESPOLI | 2010 | Serie A | 32 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| 2011 | Serie A | 29 | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | ||
| Total | 61 | 8 | – | 0 | 0 | 61 | 8 | |||
| SD Quito | 2012 | Serie A | 12 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |||
| Barcelona SC | 2013 | Serie A | 32 | 6 | – | 3 | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Serie A | 33 | 6 | – | 4 | 1 | 37 | 7 | ||
| Total | 65 | 12 | – | 7 | 1 | 72 | 13 | |||
| Pachuca | 2015 Clausura | Liga MX | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 2015 Apertura | Liga MX | 13 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 | ||
| Barcelona SC | 2016 | Serie A | 8 | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | |
| Total | 8 | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 174 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 185 | 32 | ||
National team
- As of March 15, 2016
| Ecuador national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 |
References
- ^ "Former New England Revolution news: Cristian Penilla officially signs with Club Deportivo Cuenca". 17 June 2021.
- ^ Profile at Soccerway
- ^ Pachuca
- ^ "New England Revolution add Ecuadorian forward/midfielder Cristian Penilla". revolutionsoccer.net. New England Revolution. January 23, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "Recap: Revs drop season opener in Philadelphia, 2-0". revolutionsoccer.net. March 4, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Recap: Revs secure first win under Brad Friedel in wild fashion, 2-1 over Rapids". revolutionsoccer.net. March 10, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Recap: Revs stretch unbeaten run to three games with 2-0 win over Dynamo". revolutionsoccer.net. April 1, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "RECAP: Penilla brace lifts Revolution to 3-2 win vs. defending champs Toronto FC". revolutionsoccer.net. May 13, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "New England Revolution 2018 Stats". revolutionsoccer.net. New England Revolution. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "Cristian Penilla". revolutionsoccer.net. September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Man of the Year Award". The Midnight Riders. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Shulman, Dan (November 2, 2018). "Revolution exercise options on Cristian Penilla and Luis Caicedo". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "New England Revolution announce end of season roster moves". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. November 5, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "Gustavo Bou scores in debut as Revolution top Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 4-0". revolutionsoccer.net. July 18, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Liljenwall, Ari (October 21, 2020). "New England Revolution midfielder Cristian Penilla undergoes foot surgery, out for season". mlssoccer. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Dell'Apa, Frank (December 8, 2020). "Revolution start roster moves; Diego Fagundez listed as out of contract". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Señorans, Por Jorge; Rodra, Gustavo Hofman y; Llorens, Moisés; Marsden, Sam (16 June 2021). "Francisco Mera y Cristian Penilla son nuevos jugadores de Deportivo Cuenca". ESPN.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2025.