Jhon Espinoza

Not to be confused with John Espinoza.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Espinoza and the second or maternal family name is Izquierdo.

Jhon Jairo Espinoza Izquierdo (born 24 February 1999) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Turkish Süper Lig club Kasımpaşa and the Ecuador national team.

Jhon Espinoza

Espinoza in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Jhon Jairo Espinoza Izquierdo[1]
Date of birth	(1999-02-24) 24 February 1999 (age 26)
Place of birth	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Kasımpaşa
Number	14
Youth career
	Cuenca
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2018	Cuenca	5	(0)
2018–2020	Aucas	51	(0)
2021–2022	Chicago Fire	39	(0)
2022	Chicago Fire II	4	(0)
2023–2024	Lugano	51	(2)
2024–	Kasımpaşa	22	(0)
International career‡
2018–2019	Ecuador U20	14	(1)
2019–	Ecuador	2	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Ecuador FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 Poland
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 October 2019

Club career

Born in Guayaquil, Espinoza began his career with Liga Pro club Cuenca, where he made his debut on 12 December 2017.^[3] A few games into the 2018 season, Espinoza moved to Aucas.^[3] He made his debut for the club on 30 July 2018 against Independiente Valle, starting in a 1–0 victory.^[4]

On 18 February 2020, Espinoza scored his first goal for Aucas in a 2–1 victory over Vélez Sarsfield in the Copa Sudamericana.^[5]

Chicago Fire

On 23 November 2020, Espinoza joined American Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire.^[3] He made his debut for the club on 24 June 2021 against Atlanta United, coming on as a late substitute in the 3–1 victory.^[6] On 27 December 2022, it was announced that Espinoza and Chicago had mutually agreed to terminate his deal immediately, and that he would join Swiss Super League side Lugano on 1 January 2023.^[7]

Lugano

On 27 December 2022, Espinoza signed a 1.5-year contract with Lugano in Switzerland.^[8]

Kasımpaşa

On 3 September 2024, Espinoza joined Kasımpaşa in Turkey.^[9]

International career

Espinoza captained the Ecuadorian under-20 team at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup,^[10] and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over the United States in the quarter-finals.^[11]

Espinoza made his senior debut in 2019. In a match against Argentina on 13 October 2019 Espinoza unfortunately scored an own goal in a 6–1 loss.^[12]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 August 2023^[13]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cuenca	2017	Serie A	2	0	0	0	–		2	0
	2018	Serie A	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Aucas	2018	Serie A	14	0	2	0	–		16	0
	2019	Serie A	13	0	0	0	–		13	0
	2020	Serie A	24	0	0	0	2[b]	1	26	1
	Total		51	0	2	0	2	1	55	1
Chicago Fire	2021	Major League Soccer	20	0	0	0	–		20	0
	2022	Major League Soccer	19	0	1	0	–		20	0
	Total		39	0	1	0	–		40	0
Lugano	2022–23	Swiss Super League	16	0	2	0	–		18	0
	2023–24	Swiss Super League	4	0	0	0	–		4	0
	Total		20	0	2	0	–		22	0
Career total			115	0	5	0	2	1	122	1

1. Includes Copa Ecuador, U.S. Open Cup, Swiss Cup
2. Appearances in Copa Sudamericana

International

As of match played 13 January 2019^[13]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Ecuador	2019	2	0
Total		2	0