Gabriel Pawel "Gaga" Slonina ( pl, Słonina; born May 15, 2004) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Club career

Chicago Fire

Born in

Addison, Illinois Addison is a village located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,942 at the 2010 census. History The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekia ...

, Slonina joined the youth academy of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

club Chicago Fire in 2013. On March 8, 2019, Slonina signed a professional homegrown player contract with the club. At the age of 14, Slonina became the second youngest signing in Major League Soccer history and the youngest signing ever for the Chicago Fire. On August 4, 2021, Slonina made his professional debut for the Chicago Fire against

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

, becoming the youngest starting goalkeeper in league history at 17 years, 81 days. Slonina made four saves for the Fire as the match ended in a 0–0 draw which made him the youngest goalkeeper to record a clean sheet in Major League Soccer history.

Chelsea

On August 2, 2022, Slonina signed for

club

for a transfer fee of $10 million, potentially rising to $15 million with add-ons.

Loan to Chicago Fire

Slonina remained with the Chicago Fire on loan to complete the remainder of the MLS season, before joining Chelsea on January 1, 2023.

Return to Chelsea

Slonina made his debut in a Chelsea shirt for the under-21 team in a

Professional Development League The Professional Development League is a system of youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the The Football Association, Footbal ...

match vs.

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

International career

Slonina has represented the United States at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and

under-20 Junior is a category of athletics in which athletes compete under the age of 20 years. Countries all around the world compete in athletics. World Junior Athletics Competitions are held every two years which contain the best junior competitors in ...

levels. Slonina was called into camp for the United States senior team in December 2021 but did not feature in a match. On January 21, 2022, Slonina was called into a World Cup Qualifying camp with the United States senior team but again did not feature in a match. On May 17, he was called up to the Polish senior team by coach

Czesław Michniewicz Czesław Michniewicz (; born 12 February 1970) is a Polish football manager and former player who managed the Poland national team in 2022. Managerial career Early years In September 2003, Michniewicz was appointed as the manager of Lech Pozna ...

for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Wales, Belgium and the Netherlands. Three days later, Slonina rejected the call-up and declared his wish to represent United States on international level. On January 25, 2023, Slonina became the youngest ever Goalkeeper to play for the United States senior team, making multiple crucial saves including a goal line clearance.

Personal life

Born in the United States, he is of Polish descent and is eligible to represent the United States or Poland internationally.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

Gabriel Slonina
at Chicago Fire * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slonina, Gabriel 2004 births Living people American soccer players Association football goalkeepers Chicago Fire FC players Chelsea F.C. players Major League Soccer players Soccer players from Illinois Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois People from Addison, Illinois American people of Polish descent Homegrown Players (MLS) United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England United States men's international soccer players