Styven Vasquez is a 21-year-old forward who plays for L.A Firpo in the El-Salvadoran Primera Division. Over the last year, Vasquez has been prolific, putting up 19 goals and 2 assists in 2577 minutes across the Apertura and Clausura in 23/24. His strong performances helped propel L. A Firpo into the Central American Cup where he registered 3 goals and 2 assists in 360 minutes, despite his side being eliminated in the group stage and generally being over-matched in most of their games. He has played 10 times for El-Salvador, mostly in international friendlies.
Vasquez is able to create chances for himself and others in a variety of ways. He is reasonably quick and is a threat to make runs in behind. He’s 6’1 and plays very physically. He frequently flicks the ball on through headers or out-muscles an opponent for a loose ball. His off-the-ball movement is fairly strong and that combined with his physical traits makes him a real danger inside the box. But he also drops deeper or into wide positions to receive the ball quite often. He’s not the most dynamic dribbler of all time but his physical traits mean he always has a decent chance of simply brute forcing his way past an opponent. His first touch is inconsistent. L.A Firpo fizz a lot of driven long balls into him. Sometimes he would take these balls down off his chest or with his feet and stop them on a dime. But, equally, sometimes he would flub a relatively straightforward pass. Vasquez provides some value with his passing game. He doesn’t split defences open but he can hit a good switch in transition. He also created a number of chances for his strike partner through chipped crosses. Vasquez’s shot selection is reserved by Central American football standards but I did observe a few moments where he attempted a shot that probably wasn’t the right decision.
Vasquez is a dark arts aficionado. He goes down very easily if he feels it will be advantageous to him. In the Central American Cup, he won a lot of fouls this way. On the other hand, he’s not at all shy about getting his elbows out or getting in other cheap shots. These antics are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s pretty clear that he’s not a lot of fun to play against. But on the other hand, he might get himself into trouble in a league that has VAR. Vasquez shows a willingness to track back defensively and, although Firpo does not press that high, I think his physicality could make him effective in a pressing system.
Through doing this report I wanted to determine if Vasquez has the ability to play in MLS or Liga MX. After my viewings, I am inclined to say yes. True, the step up from Salvadorian football is significant. But Vasquez clearly stands out as being technically and physically above his peers, his production is backed up by strong underlying play, and he has now proved himself against top teams from other Central American leagues.
Target Scouting 