Joao Plata facts for kids
Plata playing for Real Salt Lake against the Chicago Fire on May 25, 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera | ||
| Date of birth | March 1, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Guayaquil, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
C.D. FAS | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Barcelona SC | ||
| 2007–2009 | Alfaro Moreno | ||
| 2009–2010 | LDU Quito | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | LDU Quito | 7 | (1) |
| 2011 | → Toronto FC (loan) | 26 | (3) |
| 2012 | Toronto FC | 10 | (0) |
| 2012 | → LDU Quito (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2013–2019 | Real Salt Lake | 175 | (46) |
| 2019 | → Real Monarchs (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Toluca | 15 | (1) |
| 2022 | Delfín | 7 | (0) |
| 2023– | C.D. FAS | 11 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2018 | Ecuador | 5 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 October 2018 |
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Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera (born March 1, 1992) is a talented footballer from Ecuador. He plays as a forward, which means he is usually one of the main players who tries to score goals. Currently, he plays for C.D. FAS in El Salvador's top football league.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting with LDU Quito
Joao Plata started his football journey in his hometown, playing for the youth teams of Barcelona. Later, in 2009, he joined the Alfaro Moreno Academia. He played so well there that he was invited to join the youth teams of LDU Quito.
Plata impressed the coach of LDU Quito, Edgardo Bauza. Because of his great skills, he was called up to play for the main team during the 2010 season. On August 22, 2010, Joao Plata played his first professional game for LDU Quito. His team won 1–0 against Olmedo. People thought his first game was very promising, and he became a regular player for the rest of the season.
On September 18, 2010, Plata scored his very first professional goal. It was a winning goal in a 1–0 game against ESPOLI. This goal helped LDU Quito stay at the top of the league. By the end of the season, Plata had played in 7 league matches and scored one goal. LDU Quito won the league championship that year, their 10th time winning it!
Time with Toronto FC
After the 2010 season, Plata was loaned to a team in Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America to help him grow as a player. He was chosen by Toronto FC in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Toronto FC officially signed him on March 24, 2011. On April 2, Plata made his debut for Toronto FC, coming into the game as a substitute.
He made his first start for Toronto FC on April 27 and helped his team win 3–0 by setting up two goals. He continued to play well and was named "Man of the Match" in another game. Plata scored his first MLS goal in a 2–1 win against Houston Dynamo. He also helped set up another goal in that game, which earned him the "MLS Player of the Week" award.
On July 2, Plata scored a very important goal against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. This goal helped Toronto FC win their third Canadian Championship in a row. Winning this championship meant the team could play in the CONCACAF Champions League, a big tournament for teams in North and Central America. Plata was even given the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the best player in the tournament.
Plata continued his success in the Champions League. On July 27, he scored two goals in a 2–1 win. Later, on October 18, he scored two more goals in a crucial game against FC Dallas. This 3–0 win helped Toronto FC reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time ever.
In January 2012, Toronto FC signed a new deal with Plata to keep him on the team. He scored his first goals of the 2012 season in the Champions League semifinals. He scored two goals, but his team lost the game 6–2. In July 2012, Plata went back to LDU Quito for a six-month loan.
Playing for Real Salt Lake
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Plata returned to Toronto FC in January 2013. However, on January 30, 2013, he was traded to Real Salt Lake, another MLS team.
On May 20, 2013, Plata scored his first goal for Real Salt Lake. In 2014, he had his best season, scoring 13 goals and helping with 6 assists. Fans even started using the hashtag #PlataEsOro on Twitter. This was a fun way to say he was doing great, because "plata" means "silver" and "oro" means "gold" in Spanish.
He signed new contracts with Real Salt Lake in 2015 and 2017. In 2019, he played one game for Real Monarchs, which is Real Salt Lake's second team, and scored a goal. After the 2019 season, his contract with Real Salt Lake ended.
Later Clubs
- Toluca: In July 2020, Plata joined Toluca, a team in Mexico's top league. He scored his first goal for them in January 2021. He left the club in the summer of 2021.
- Delfín: In January 2022, he joined Delfín, a club in Ecuador's top league.
- FAS: In August 2023, he joined C.D. FAS in El Salvador's top league, where he plays today.
International Career
Joao Plata also played for the Ecuador Under-20 national team. In May 2011, he was called up to play for the senior national team. He made his debut for Ecuador on June 1, 2011, in a game against Canada. Later, in a friendly game against El Salvador, Plata scored two goals, helping Ecuador win 5–1.
How Joao Plata Plays
Joao Plata is 1.57 meters (about 5 feet 2 inches) tall, which makes him one of the shorter players in MLS history. Even though he isn't very tall, his small size helps him a lot! He has a low center of gravity, which means he is very balanced and can change direction super quickly in small spaces. His strong legs also help him burst into speed over short distances.
Plata is known for being a very fast and exciting player. He is great at running with the ball (dribbling) and has excellent technical skills. He is a creative forward, meaning he can both score goals himself and help his teammates score by passing to them. He can play in different attacking positions, but he often plays on the left side of the field. From there, he can get the ball, dribble past defenders, and then cut towards the middle to either shoot or set up a goal for someone else.
Career Statistics Summary
Joao Plata has had a successful career playing for various clubs and his national team. Here's a quick look at his professional club appearances and goals:
- LDU Quito: 20 appearances, 2 goals
- Toronto FC: 52 appearances, 10 goals
- Real Salt Lake: 202 appearances, 54 goals
- Real Monarchs: 1 appearance, 1 goal
- Toluca: 15 appearances, 1 goal
- Delfín: 7 appearances, 0 goals
- C.D. FAS: 11 appearances, 4 goals (as of December 2023)
He has played a total of 275 club games and scored 67 goals. For the Ecuador national team, he has played 5 games and scored 2 goals.
Awards and Honors
Team Honors
- LDU Quito
- Serie A (1): 2010
- Toronto FC
- Canadian Championship (2): 2011, 2012
- Real Salt Lake
- Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (2): 2013, 2014
Individual Awards
- George Gross Memorial Trophy: 2011 (Award for the best player in the Canadian Championship)
- Red Patch Boys Player of the Year: 2011 (Award from a Toronto FC fan group)
See also
In Spanish: Joao Plata para niños
