Juan David Cabezas Núñez (born 27 February 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder.
Club career
Deportivo Cali Cabezas joined the Deportivo Cali in 2000, spending 9 years in the academy. Cabezaz made his first team debut for Deportivo Cali in a Categoria Primera A match on 7 March 2009, coming on as a sub in a 2–1 win against Junior. He would pick up 2 more appearances that year.
The following season Cabezas went on loan to fellow Primera A club Cúcuta Deportivo. He made 6 league appearances before going out on loan again the following year, this time to La Equidad He got his first taste of the Copa Sudamericana while with La Equidad, getting a start in a 1–0 defeat to Club Libertad on 14 September 2011
Cabezas returned to Deportivo Cali in 2011, but only made 27 appearances before going out on loan again, this time to Once Caldes. He helped Los Albos qualify for the playoffs in both seasons with the club.
Deportivo Cali gave Cabezas another chance in 2014 and he didn't disappoint. The club reached the playoffs in 2014 and 2015 and he helped them become 2015 Apertura Champions.
In 2016, looking for more consistent game time, Cabezas went on loan to Independiente Medellín. He became a key player for DIM. In the 2016 Apertura finals against Junior, Cabezas scored the equalizing goal in the first leg, They went on to win 3–1 on aggregate.
Houston Dynamo Cabezaz Joined the Dynamo and on loan for the 2017 season. He quickly established himself as a key figure in countryman Wilmer Cabrerea's side, getting his MLS debut by coming off the bench in the second match of the season. He recorded his first Dynamo goal on 29 July, an equalizer in a 2–2 draw with the Portland Timbers. After helping lead the Dynamo to the MLS Playoffs, Cabezas played every minute as Houston reached the Conference Finals. His strong season saw him be named team MVP for the 2017 season. Wilmer Cabrera described Cabezas as "a top player in the midfield for us and is a natural ball winner". The Dynamo rewarded his good performances by acquiring him on a permanent deal in December 2017.
Cabezas was plagued with injuries in 2018. In the first game of the season, he picked up a thigh muscle strain, forcing him to come off after 15 minutes and causing him to miss the next 9 games. In his first game since back from injury, he picked up another thigh injury that caused him to miss over 3 months and 20 games. Later he picked up another muscle injury that caused him to miss the final 3 games of the season. The team greatly missed him throughout the season, going 5-1-1 across all competitions when Cabezas played while only going 6-7-15 across all competitions in games Cabezas missed.
The Dynamo and Cabezas opened 2019 on 19 February with a CONCACAF Champions League match against CD Guastatoya. Despite Houston getting the 1–0 win, Cabezaa was forced off due to picking up an injury. After making 2 appearances with the Dynamo's USL Championship affiliate Rio Grande Valley FC to regain fitness, Cabezas returned to the Dynamo lineup on 13 April in a 2–1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. He would find the back of the net for his second goal as a Dynamo on 9 August in a 3–2 defeat to New York City FC. On 11 September, Cabezas injured his knee after a reckless challenge from an opponent. The Dynamo would go onto defeat Minnesota United 2–0, but Cabezas would miss the rest of the season.
On 21 November, Cabezas had his contract option declined.
Rio Grande Valley FC On 7 April 2021, Cabezas returned to Rio Grande Valley FC, signing a contract for the 2021 season.
Personal Cabezas received his U.S. green card in January 2019, which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
Career statistics
+Club PerformanceLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalClubSeasonLeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsColombiaLeagueCopa ColombiaCONMEBOLOtherTotalDeportivo Cali2009Categoría Primera A3000——302011202000—4020129010——10020139240——1322014196423Appearances in Copa Sudamericana0—268201532120——341Deportivo Cali Total74913230009011Cúcuta Deportivo (loan)2010Categoría Primera A6000—60La Equidad (loan)2011Categoría Primera A10001Appearances in Copa Sudamericana0—20Once Caldas (loan)2013Categoría Primera A18300——183201416200——162Once CaldasTotal345000000345Independiente Medellín (loan)2016Categoría Primera A292713Appearances in Copa Sudamericana000392United StatesLeagueUS Open CupCONCACAFPlayoffsTotalHouston Dynamo (loan)2017Major League Soccer27100—50321Houston Dynamo20186010——702019151202One Appearance in CONCACAF Champions League and one in Leagues Cup0—191Dynamo Total482302050582Rio Grande Valley FC (loan)2019USLC30———30Rio Grande Valley FC2021191———191202226120——281202324110——251Total733300000753Career Totals26421263905030435
Honors
Club Deportivo Cali
Categoría Primera A: 2015-I
Independiente Medellín
Categoría Primera A: 2016-I
Houston Dynamo
US Open Cup: 2018
Individual Houston Dynamo
Dynamo Team MVP: 2017
References