Team News

FC Baltimore Announces Historic Player Signing- Lucas Mendes, the 2016 Gatorade High School National Player of the Year

Today marks the addition of a marquee player for FC Baltimore- Lucas Mendes. Lucas caught the attention of the entire nation as a high school senior, earning the prestigious Gatorade High School National Player of the Year Award. You can watch him receive the award from Taylor Twellman here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=KFVXCFoqdjM

No stranger to the DMV area, Lucas attended Washington-Lee high school. On the club side as a youth player, Lucas featured for the DC United Academy- netting 28 goals and 17 assists in 45 matches. He was an NSCAA Club All-American in 2015. This put him on the map with US Soccer, earning him a spot in both the U-18 and U-20 National Pool.

Alex Lubyansky, Director of Soccer Operations of FC Baltimore, said “Lucas is the sort of player you can build a team around. His attacking prowess is unmatched, and we are committed to showcasing his talent this summer in order to earn him a professional contract and a serious look from the US National Team staff.”

Watching even 30 seconds of his highlight tape is enough to get any soccer fan excited. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sbLzal9XrVM

FC Baltimore Head Coach, Brandon Quaranta, said ““Adding an attacking player with Lucas’ quality is huge for our club. He can play anywhere in the front four positions for us and should be a constant threat to the opposition.”

Lucas provided the following statement for his FC Baltimore player signing announcement:

“I am excited to announce that I will be playing with FC Baltimore this season! I am so honored to be a part of the launch of FC Baltimore. It is great to return close to home and play for a top notch club.

There are so many reasons why FC Baltimore is the best place for me, at this point in my career. I was looking for a fresh start, where I can continue my development, and play with some of the best players in the country. FC Baltimore checks all those boxes.

I’m happy to be a part of building something new and exciting. From the first sign of interest from the FC Baltimore ownership, it was clear that they will run the club the right way. We are going to have a great atmosphere and will be very entertaining.

This area is such a hotbed for talent. The FC Baltimore staff has done an amazing job of pulling together the top young players in the area. The squad looks amazing! I think there are some future national team stars on this roster. I can’t wait to get on the field with my teammates as soon as possible!

I also can’t wait to play for Coach Quaranta. I have never played for Coach Quaranta, but I know some players who have, and he has a great reputation. I look forward to developing under him and having him help me take my game to the next level.

Expectations are high, and I know we will be prepared for the task ahead. We are going to be a young, talented, and exciting team that plays amazing football. I hope the entire community will come out this summer to see what we can accomplish!”

Quaranta concludes, “Our already talented roster just got deeper. We will have a hungry group with healthy competition at training. That’s the environment we want to create.”

FC Baltimore is hungry to compete – don’t miss the show.