Rafael Mentzingen

Rafael Duizit Mentzingen (born 2 May 1996) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Memphis 901. He previously appeared at the semi-professional level for Southern West Virginia King's Warriors, Lansing United, and Detroit City and as a professional with Lansing Ignite.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Duizit and the second or paternal family name is Mentzingen.
Rafael Mentzingen
Mentzingen with Detroit in 2018
Personal information
Full name Rafael Duizit Mentzingen
Date of birth (1996-05-02) 2 May 1996
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Memphis 901
Number 14
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Bryan Lions 35 (22)
2017–2018 Valparaiso Crusaders 34 (11)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Southern West Virginia King's Warriors 0 (0)
2017 Lansing United 9 (9)
2018 Detroit City 6 (3)
2019 Lansing Ignite 21 (6)
2020– Memphis 901 6 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 August 2020

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Mentzingen came to the United States to play collegiate soccer at Bryan College. He spent two years with the Lions before transferring and playing his final two years of eligibility at Valparaiso. Mentzingen was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, but instead signed for USL League One club Lansing Ignite, with who he made his professional debut in 2019. The club folded after just one year of existence, with Mentzingen moving on to join Memphis 901 for the 2020 season.

Early life

Mentzingen was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and attended the Instituto São José in São José dos Campos. He began playing football when he was four years old.[1]

College and amateur

Mentzingen came to the United States in 2015 to play college soccer, joining the team at NAIA school Bryan College. He made his collegiate debut on 26 August, scoring in a 9–0 victory over Hiwassee.[2] After scoring four goals in a two-match stretch in mid-October, Mentzingen was named as the Appalachian Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 11 goals in 17 appearances, was named as the AAC Freshman of the Year, and was placed on the All-AAC First Team.[3] He continued to star as a sophomore, tallying three goals in the first two games of the 2016 season – the second of which was a bicycle kick in a 3–0 victory over Cumberlands.[4] He earned his second career AAC Offensive Player of the Week nod at the end of October, capping a week where he scored four goals in two games against Montreat and Tennessee Wesleyan.[5] Mentzingen finished the season with 11 goals in 18 appearances; he earned a second-consecutive All-AAC First Team nod,[6] was on the AAC All-Tournament Team,[7] and was named as an NAIA Second-Team All-American.[8] He announced his transfer to Valparaiso following the season, finishing his two years at Bryan with 22 goals in 35 appearances.[9]

Mentzingen made his Valparaiso and NCAA debut on 25 August 2017, as the Crusaders fell 2–1 against Northwestern.[10] He scored his first Crusader goal a week later, helping Valpo defeat nationally ranked Loyola in the program's Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) debut.[11] Mentzingen earned national recognition for a goal he scored in the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, although his "mesmerizing goal" came in a 4–2 defeat to Drake.[12] He was named to the All-Missouri Valley First Team after tallying nine goals in 18 appearances on the season.[13] As a senior, Mentzingen's scoring output fell off for the first time in his collegiate career: he tallied just two goals in 16 matches. Those goals came in a three-match span midway through the season, including his final collegiate goal in a 4–1 defeat to Oral Roberts on 1 October.[14] He finished his Crusader career with 11 goals in 34 appearances and earned a second consecutive nod to the All-MVC First Team.[15]

Southern West Virginia King's Warriors

Following his freshman season at Bryan, Mentzingen was on the roster for Premier Development League club Southern West Virginia King's Warriors. He did not make an appearance during the final season of existence for the King's Warriors.[16]

Lansing United

For the summer of 2017, Mentzingen moved to the National Premier Soccer League and signed for Lansing United.[17] He debuted for the club on 14 May, playing 74 minutes and scoring a goal in a 2–0 victory over Milwaukee Torrent.[18] Mentzingen continued his goal-scoring form through the first half of the season, tallying two goals against F.C. Indiana on 19 May[19] and again versus AFC Ann Arbor on 26 May.[20] After scoring a brace in a 4–2 win over Grand Rapids FC on 10 June, he was named as the NPSL national player of the week.[21] His season was ended in late June due to injury, but Mentzingen finished the year with nine goals in nine matches and was honored as the Lansing United player of the year.[22]

Detroit City
Mentzingen scored 12 goals in 17 appearances across three seasons with semi-professional clubs.

Mentzingen moved across the state of Michigan in 2018, joining fellow National Premier Soccer League club Detroit City for the summer season.[23] After appearing for the club in preseason, he made his competitive debut for Le Rouge in the first round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup, starting and playing 113 minutes as Detroit knocked out Michigan Bucks on penalties.[24] Mentzingen scored his first goals for the club on 27 May, bagging two goals and providing an assist after entering as a second-half substitute in an 11–0 victory over F.C. Indiana.[25] He added another goal five days later, this time helping Detroit defeat F.C. Indiana by a scoreline of 8–0.[26] Mentzingen played sporadically throughout the remainder of the season, finishing with three goals in eight total appearances as Detroit City failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.[27]

Club career

Although he had already signed a contract with Lansing Ignite, Mentzingen was drafted 90th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew SC, who retained his Major League Soccer rights through the end of the 2020 season.[28] He had previously trained with the club in 2018, but he and the Crew determined that he "needed more experience at the professional level" before joining Columbus. The sides agreed that Mentzingen would sign with Lansing for the 2019 USL League One season and join the Crew for preseason in 2020 to battle for a roster spot.[29]

Lansing Ignite

On 14 December 2018, Mentzingen signed for USL League One expansion club Lansing Ignite. He became the third signing in club history, inking a one-year contract pending league and federation approval.[30] Mentzingen made his club and professional debut on 30 March 2019, entering as a second-half substitute against Richmond Kickers.[31] His first professional goal came less than two months later, on 18 May in a home fixture against North Texas SC. The 54th-minute strike helped the Ignite earn a 2–2 draw against the eventual league champions.[32] In July, Mentzingen would be named as the League One Player of the Month as the Ignite went unbeaten in six matches during the month. He scored two goals and provided three assists, including a stoppage time tally as part of a 3–2 victory over Forward Madison on 9 July.[33] Mentzingen finished the season with six goals and a team-high seven assists from 24 appearances in all competitions; he was one of three Ignite players named to the League One All-League Second Team for their efforts.[34] Nine days after Lansing was eliminated from the playoffs, the club folded due to financial difficulties; Mentzingen, along with the rest of the squad, was released from his contract and became a free agent.[35]

Memphis 901

After the Ignite folded, Mentzingen joined USL Championship club Memphis 901 on 15 January 2020.[36]

Career statistics
As of 8 August 2020[37]
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Southern West Virginia King's Warriors 2016[16] PDL 00–––00
Lansing United 2017[38] NPSL 99–––99
Detroit City 2018[39] NPSL 6320––83
Lansing Ignite 2019 USL League One 21620–1[lower-alpha 2]0246
Memphis 901 2020 USL Championship 6000–0060
Career total 42184000104718
  1. All appearances in the U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearance in the USL League One playoffs

Honors
Bryan
Individual

References
  1. "Meet the team: midfielder Rafael Mentzingen". AssemblyLineSG.com. The Assembly Line. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  2. "Lions come away with win in season opener". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  3. "Three Lions Named To NSCAA All-East Team". Chattanoogan.com. The Chattanoogan. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  4. "Mentzingen bicycles the Lions to a 3–0 blanking of Cumberlands Patriots". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  5. "Rafael Mentzingen earns first player of the week honors this season". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  6. "AAC men's soccer awards announced – Dunstan named Def. Player of the Year & Spooner earns Freshman of the Year". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  7. "Lions fall to Union in championship game, three named to All-Tourney team". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  8. Smith, Donnie (6 December 2016). "2016 NAIA Men's Soccer All-America Teams Announced". NAIA.org. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  9. "Rafael Mentzingen – Bryan profile". BryanLions.com. Bryan Athletics. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  10. "Crusaders Fall in Overtime in Season Opener". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Athletics. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  11. "Crusaders Make Grand Entrance to Missouri Valley Conference with Win Over Loyola". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Athletics. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  12. Joseph, Andrew (7 November 2017). "College soccer player utterly embarrasses defenders to score a must-see goal". USAToday.com. USA Today Sports. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  13. "2017 MVC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams Announced" (PDF). MVC-Sports.com. Missouri Valley Conference. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  14. "Mentzingen Tallies Goal in Men's Soccer Setback to Oral Roberts". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Athletics. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  15. "Five Men's Soccer Players Receive All-Conference Recognition". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Athletics. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  16. "Rafael Mentzingen – Southern West Virginia King's Warriors profile". USLLeagueTwo.com. USL League Two. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  17. Brennan, Melissa (21 June 2017). "Rafa Mentzingen: Lansing United's Newest Midfield Maestro". WLNS.com. WLNS-TV. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  18. Barnowski, Nick (14 May 2017). "Quick goals help United defeat Milwaukee, 2-0, in NPSL opener". LanUnited.com. Lansing United. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  19. Edwards III, James (20 May 2017). "Crafty Brazilian Rafa Mentzingen paces Lansing United on record-setting night". LansingStateJournal.com. Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  20. "United takes home first victory over Ann Arbor in 2–0 win". NPSL.com. National Premier Soccer League. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  21. Edwards III, James (14 June 2017). "Lansing United midfielder named national player of the week". LansingStateJournal.com. Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  22. Barnowski, Nick (18 July 2017). "Lansing United names 2017 season award winners". LanUnited.com. Lansing United. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  23. "2018 Detroit City FC roster takes shape". DetCityFC.com. Detroit City FC. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  24. Sharpe, Fletcher (10 May 2018). "2018 US Open Cup Round 1: Detroit City ousts Michigan Bucks in PKs for second year in a row". TheCup.us. TheCup.us. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  25. Spence, Sean (27 May 2018). "A No-Mercy Kind of Day: Detroit City FC 11, FC Indiana 0". DetCityFC.com. Detroit City FC. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  26. Spence, Sean (1 June 2018). "Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two Dollars: Detroit City FC 8, FC Indiana 0". DetCityFC.com. Detroit City FC. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  27. Spence, Sean (29 June 2018). "Going Down Fighting: Detroit City FC 4, Grand Rapids FC 4". DetCityFC.com. Detroit City FC. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  28. Torres, Guilherme (14 January 2019). "Crew adds Donawa, Mentzingen to conclude MLS SuperDraft". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  29. Torres, Guilherme (16 January 2019). "Year of development: Crew fourth-round pick plans to join team in 2020". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  30. Lansing Ignite Staff (14 December 2018). "Lansing Ignite signs Rafa Mentzingen". LansingIgnite.com. Lansing Ignite FC. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  31. "Richmond Kickers vs. Lansing Ignite". USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  32. Friend, Phil (18 May 2019). "Lansing Ignite's 2-2 draw 'feels like a loss' after North Texas scores two late goals". LansingStateJournal.com. Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  33. Valparaiso University (8 August 2019). "Mentzingen named USL League One Player of the Month". NWI.life. Ideas in Motion Media. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
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  37. Rafael Mentzingen at Soccerway
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  39. "Detroit City 2018 match reports". NPSL.com. National Premier Soccer League. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
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