Marco Angulo, MLS and Ecuador soccer star, dies aged 22 month after car crash

The 22-year-old died after a car crash in his native Ecuador

FC Cincinnati player and Ecuador international Marco Angulo has died after injuries sustained in a car crash last month. (AP)

Ecuador and FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo has died from his injuries sustained in a car crash that also killed his former youth team teammate Roberto Cabezas, the Ecuadorian Football Association said on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Angulo was a passenger in the car that crashed into a metal barrier on the Rumiñahui highway southeast of Quito on Oct. 7. The driver and Cabezas, who played for Independiente Juniors, were killed in the incident.

Angulo was left with serious head injuries and a lung contusion. He was placed in an artificial coma but died from the injuries on Monday night, the El Universo newspaper reported.

FC Cincinnati player and Ecuador international Marco Angulo has died after injuries sustained in a car crash last month. (AP)

Angulo played for Ecuadorian league champion L.D.U. Quito on loan from MLS team FC Cincinnati.

Ecuador's FA said Angulo "defended the colors of our country at every opportunity he had with his talent and dedication. Marco was not only an outstanding player, but a great teammate. He leaves a deep pain in our hearts."

Angulo, a defensive midfielder, played for Ecuador Under-17s and Under-20s before making his senior debut in a friendly against Iraq in November 2022. He played in another friendly against Australia in March last year.