José Adolfo Valencia Arrechea

José Adolfo Valencia Arrechea is the son of former Colombian international Adolfo Valencia, and he carved out his own path in the sport as a forward, starting out at Independiente Santa Fe and making his senior debut in 2008. He won the Copa Colombia with the Bogotá club in 2009 and later added the Superliga Colombiana in 2017. At youth level he made his mark, scoring the winning goal against Mali at the 2011 U-20 World Cup and helping Colombia win the Toulon Tournament that same year, though he never earned a senior cap for the national team.

His move to MLS with Portland Timbers in 2012 arrived with high hopes as a Young Designated Player, but knee surgery kept him out for most of that first season. He completed a permanent transfer to the club in 2013 before entering a long stretch of loans and moves through South America, including spells at Club Olimpo, Rosario Central, Independiente — a reported $1.8 million move — and Once Caldas.

From there his career took him across continents, with stops at Feirense in Portugal, Central Córdoba, Delfín SC, Deportivo Pereira, Atlético Bucaramanga, and further afield to Yangon United and PSMS Medan. More recent seasons took him to Patronato, FC Cajamarca and Universitario de Vinto before he joined CD Luis Ángel Firpo.