Richard Mina is a 23-year-old versatile defender, currently playing for Aucas, which is one of the better teams in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian defender has already played 74 matches for SD Aucas. He is a former youth international of Ecuador, playing for both the U20’s and U23’s. He was part of the Ecuador U20 team that won the Sudamericano U20. Mina was also part of the Ecuador U20 team that ended third at the World Championships U20.
The Ecuadorian defender is pretty versatile, having played as both a right-back and a central defender. His preferred position is the RCB position. His technique is not great, but it is at a sufficient level for Liga Pro level. Playing as a right-back has improved his on-the-ball ability, but it’s still not outstanding for this level. His short passing is okay, but his long passing technique is not great. Richard Mina likes to play crosspasses, but these are very inconsistent.
Mina stands at around 1.84 meters and has a normal build, but his legs are a bit stocky. He has decent acceleration and can maintain that pace over long distances. Richard Mina is not that quick on the turn, but holds his own in most duels. As a right-back, he often wins physical duels against the smaller wingers. However, against physically strong strikers he really struggles to disrupt the opponent’s actions and fails to recover possession.
The young but experienced defender is a very proactive and aggressive defender. Mina likes to step up and relies on his aggressiveness and tenacity to win duels. This is not always that successful. He often gives away fouls because he is too aggressive and this has already led to multiple yellow cards. His defensive ability has not been developed that much in the past two years and it seems like he has reached his ceiling at Aucas. Richard Mina is a defender though who would put his life on the line to win. His determination and mindset helps Aucas to pull through when they’re under pressure.
I think that Richard Mina should stay at SD Aucas for a few more seasons. He does not have the level yet to make the step up and I doubt that he will ever reach that level. If he does want to make a move, I think that the Brazilian Serie B could be a good move for Richard Mina. However, staying at Aucas for the rest of his career would probably be the best choice.