Huachipato striker Anthony Blondell faces charges - Dates back to time at Whitecaps

Anthony Blondell never fulfilled his full potential at the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Venezuelan striker was signed by the Whitecaps in Jan. 2018 in a deal worth $1.2 million. 

A fast and strong forward, Blondell arrived in Vancouver from Venezuelan side Monagas SC with a significant goalscoring record. In 28 games for Monagas in Venezuela, the then 23-year-old had scored 17 goals and five assists. 

In Vancouver, however, Blondell was a bust. Under former head coach Carl Robinson, Blondell never fulfilled his potential and only scored one goal and three assists in 20 appearances. 

At the beginning of 2019, Blondell was loaned out to the Chilean side Huachipato FC. The transfer was then officially made permanent on Jan. 1, 2020 in a deal worth $1.1 million, which makes him one of the three most expensive players ever to arrive at the club. 

According to a report by JJ Adams from The Province, the last word on Blondell is not spoken quite yet in Vancouver. The striker is currently facing criminal charges dating back to his time in Major League Soccer. 

Internal documents from MLS detailing his suspension were tweeted out Wednesday morning by Mario Alberto Sánchez, owner of a Venezuelan-based Twitter account. The documents dated Oct. 16, 2019, from the MLS Player Relations Department, read, in part:

“You have been accused of a chargeable offense in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, that is detrimental to the reputation and public image of Major League Soccer. … This memorandum constitutes formal notice that you have been suspended indefinitely, subject to the outcoming of the proceedings of the chargeable offense referenced …”

At the time the charges were issued, Blondell would have been out on loan to Huachipato but remained the full property of the Whitecaps until the transfer was made permanent this year. The full economic rights of a player are not moved until a deal has been made permanent according to FIFA transfer regulations.