Teenage phenom Fricio Caicedo impresses in Inter Miami debut | OneFootball

Young Ecuadorian shows why he's considered a potential star

Fricio Caicedo passes the eye test. The 18-year-old Ecuadorian center back is already physically imposing with a muscular, 6-foot-4 build, but what really stood out in his Inter Miami debut Saturday was his calm and confidence.

The Herons acquired Caicedo on loan from Costa Rican side FC Moravia FCM through Major League Soccer's 2027 14-match "sprint" season in July. The phenom had never played for a club side until arriving in Inter Miami, making his professional debut for Inter Miami II in a 2-1 win against Toronto FC II on July 25. (He was a standout in the Liga Deportiva Universitaria Quito (LDU Quito) youth system and Ecuador's youth national teams. He made his first senior team appearance for Ecuador in May.)

Caicedo started and played the full match, finishing with the most touches (98) and most defensive contributions (10 -- 3 tackles, 4 clearances and 3 interceptions), completed 67 of 80 passes (84 percent) and 12 of 22 long passes (55 percent). He won his only aerial duel and 7 of 12 ground duels (58 percent). He earned a FotMob player rating of 7.6 of a possible 10, the second highest of the match.

Interim coach Guillermo Hoyos put Caicedo in the starting lineup Saturday for the Herons' home match against Columbus; the match ended in a 2-2 draw, but Caicedo justified Hoyos' trust by playing the full 90 minutes, registering 80 touches and earning a 6.7 FotMob rating. The teen again had 10 defensive contributions -- 2 tackles, 4 clearances and 4 interceptions -- and completed 64 of 68 passes (94 percent) and 4 of 6 long balls (67 percent); he won 2 of 4 ground duels.

(The video below auto-dubbed Caicedo's responses from Spanish.)

If anything, Caicedo may be TOO confident; the most obvious blemish to his performance came when, instead of passing, he tried to dribble between two Columbus defenders, who promptly dispossessed him of the ball.

Still, Caicedo's showing has Inter Miami fans dreaming of teaming him with Micael, the Brazilian newcomer who has cemented himself in the left center back role for the Herons.

The loan agreement includes an option to buy, but if this admittedly small sample size is any indication, he'll have many suitors. But we can dream, right?