Villanueva, age 21, comes in as the second youngest player on Detroit City FC’s current roster but already has amassed nearly 6,500 minutes of professional soccer, coming from 72 starts and 95 appearances between 2019-2023 for the Tacoma Defiance, Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer and, most recently, Orange County SC in the USL Championship’s Western Conference.
At the start of the 2022 season, it was announced that Orange County SC had agreed on a deal to bring Villanueva to the club and he would instantly make an impact, starting in 32 matches and appearing in 34. At first, Orange County deployed Villanueva as a midfielder but shifted him to a full-back role as the season carried on.
He would return to Orange County SC in 2023, helping them return to the playoffs and contributing in 847 minutes of play.