Nicolás Javier Cardona Ruiz (born February 11, 1999) is a Puerto Rican footballer who currently plays as a defender for El Paso Locomotive FC in the USL Championship.
 Cardona with Hartford Athletic supporters in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolás Javier Cardona Ruiz | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | February 11, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | El Paso Locomotive | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| GPS Conquistadores de Guaynabo | |||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Assumption Greyhounds | 33 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Almenara Atlètic | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | UB Conquense | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Hartford Athletic | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 61 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Miami FC | 48 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | El Paso Locomotive | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Puerto Rico U20 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Puerto Rico | 28 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 25, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of March 28, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
International career
editCardona made his international debut for Puerto Rico in a 1–0 win over the Dominican Republic.[1] He had previously played in friendlies with the team including a match against his future club, Hartford Athletic in 2019.[2] On June 1, 2021, Cardona was named as captain for Puerto Rico in the team's 7–0 win over the Bahamas during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[3]
Club career
editCardona signed with USL Championship team Hartford Athletic on February 22, 2021. He had previously spent time with the U23 team of Spanish club UB Conquense.[2] Cardona scored his first professional goal on June 19, 2021 when he scored the go ahead goal in Hartford's 2–1 win over Loudoun United in the 94th minute.[4]
On February 22, 2022, Cardona signed with USL League One club Chattanooga Red Wolves.[5]
Cardona joined Miami FC on the USL Championship on December 18, 2023.[6]
On March 3, 2026, El Paso Locomotive announced they had signed Cardona to a contract for 2026 USL Championship season.[7]
Honours
editPuerto Rico
References
edit- ↑ Nicolás Cardona at Soccerway
- 1 2 Athletic, Hartford (February 22, 2021). "Hartford Athletic Signs Puerto Rican International Nicolás Cardona". Hartford Athletic | Connecticut's Professional Soccer Team.
- ↑ "Nicolás Cardona is the new captain of the Blue Hurricane". fedefutbolpr.com. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ↑ "Unbelievable scene". hartfordathletic.com. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ↑ USLLeagueOne com Staff (February 22, 2022). "Red Wolves Sign Puerto Rican National Team Captain Nicolás Cardona". USL League One.
- ↑ Borer, Sarah. "Miami FC signs Defender Nicolás Cardona". MiamiFC.com. Miami FC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ↑ Staff, USLChampionship com (March 3, 2026). "El Paso Locomotive FC signs Puerto Rico international Nicolas Cardona". USL Championship. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ↑ "🚨 ¡PUERTO RICO CAMPEÓN! 🤩🇵🇷🏆❤️⚽️🔥". Instagram. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
External links
edit- Nicolás Cardona at Soccerway.com
- Nicolás Cardona at WorldFootball.net
- Nicolás Cardona at National-Football-Teams.com
- Nicolás Cardona at FBref.com
