Orlendis Benítez
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Orlendis Carlos Benítez Hernández | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Cuba | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Simcoe County Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | FC La Habana | ||
| 2021–2022 | Vaughan Azzurri | 24 | (8) |
| 2022 | → Forge FC (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2023– | Simcoe County Rovers | 19 | (15) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 September 2023 | |||
Orlendis Carlos Benítez Hernández (born 26 November 1996) is a Cuban professional footballer who plays for the Simcoe County Rovers in League1 Ontario.
Playing career[edit]
He began his career in his native Cuba with FC La Habana. During the 2018–19 season, he was named the Best Player of the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba.[1]
In 2021 and 2022, he played for Vaughan Azzurri in League1 Ontario.[2][3] In June 2022, he joined Canadian Premier League club Forge FC on a short-term loan.[4] He made his debut for Forge on 12 June against Pacific FC.[5]
In February 2023, he signed with the Simcoe County Rovers in League1 Ontario.[6] He was named the L1O Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Star in 2023.[7][8]
International career[edit]
In late August 2019, he received his first call-up to the Cuba national football team for their 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League matches against Canada in September.[9][10] However, ahead of the match, he defected from the squad to settle in Canada and not return to Cuba,[11][12] with the help of his uncle (whom he had never met) who was a baseball player who had also defected while in Canada.[13]
Career statistics[edit]
- As of April 24, 2024
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2021[2] | League1 Ontario | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 3 | ||
| 2022[3] | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 9 | ||
| Forge FC (loan) | 2022[14] | Canadian Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | 2023[15] | League1 Ontario | 19 | 15 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 16 | ||
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 19 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 16 | ||
| Career total | 46 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 25 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "David Urgellés y Orlendis Benítez, más deserciones del fútbol cubano" [David Urgellés and Orlendis Benítez, more defections from Cuban soccer]. ADN Cuba (in Spanish). 8 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Orlendis Carlos Benitez Hernandez 2021 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ a b "Orlendis Benitez Hernandez 2022 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Forge FC sign Canadian defender Duncan & attacker Benitez to a short term contract". Forge FC. 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Highlights: Forge FC vs Pacific FC (June 12, 2022)". OneSoccer. 12 June 2022.
- ^ Jacques, John (14 February 2023). "Simcoe County Rovers Add Former Cuban Internationals Benitez And Portal". Northern Tribune.
- ^ "Men's Premier Division 2023: Award Winners". League1 Ontario. 20 November 2023.
- ^ "MVP Tomasz Skublak leads line in star-studded XI". League1 Ontario. 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Cuba da sus 23 para partidos contra Canadá" [Cuba gives its 23 for matches against Canada]. Futbol de Cuba (in Spanish). 28 August 2019.
- ^ Alexander, Arian (5 September 2019). "¿Debut para despejar dudas?" [Debut to clear doubts?]. AA Sport (in Spanish).
- ^ Ebro, Jorge; González, Pedro J. (8 September 2019). "Tres cubanos más escapan en torneo de CONCACAF y ya suman cinco los que abandonan el equipo" [Three more Cubans escape in the CONCACAF tournament and there are already five who leave the team]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 September 2019.
- ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (9 September 2019). "Report: Five Cuba national team players defect during Nations League". Major League Soccer.
- ^ Jacques, John (24 April 2024). "Former Cuba Internationals Set To Face Toronto FC In Stadium Where 'New Life' Began". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Orlendis Benítez at Soccerway
- ^ "Orlendis Benitez 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
External links[edit]
- Orlendis Benítez at Soccerway
- 1996 births
- Living people
- Men's association football midfielders
- Cuban men's footballers
- Footballers from Havana
- Cuban expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
- Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- League1 Ontario players
- Canadian Premier League players
- Vaughan Azzurri players
- Forge FC players
- Simcoe County Rovers FC players
- Defecting Cuban footballers