Marco Angulo, rising soccer star who played in MLS, dead at 22

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Marco Angulo, a rising Ecuadorian soccer star who played in Major League Soccer for FC Cincinnati, has died from injuries sustained in a car crash, officials said Tuesday. He was 22.

Angulo was a passenger in a vehicle with his former youth soccer teammate Roberto Cabezas when the car crashed into a metal barrier on a highway near Quito last month. The driver, Cabezas and Angulo all died in the crash.

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FC Cincinnati midfielder Marco Angulo, #8, and defender Yerson Mosquera, #15, celebrate after winning a MLS Cup Eastern Conference Semifinal match against the Philadelphia Union at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Nov. 25, 2023. (Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)

The young player suffered serious head injuries and a lung contusion and was placed in a coma. He died Monday night, El Universo reported.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Marco—a husband and father, a brother and son, a friend and teammate," FC Cincinnati said in a statement Tuesday. 

"He was a joyful, kind young man who lit up every room he entered. Our entire club grieves this tragedy, and we are thinking of and praying for his family. He was a cherished member of the FC Cincinnati family, and he will be missed."

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FC Cincinnati midfielder Marco Angulo, #8, and D.C. United midfielder Lewis O'Brien, #17, battle for the ball in the second half at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2023. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Angulo was playing for LDU de Quito on loan from Cincinnati.

Angulo "defended the colors of our country at every opportunity he had