Gerardo Miguel Bravo Benavides (born December 22, 1981, in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

) is a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Career

College and amateur

Bravo moved with his family from his native Peru to the United States as a teenager, settling in Sylmar, California. He played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

Los Angeles Mission College Los Angeles Mission College is a public community college in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and it is accredited by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Histor ...

from 2006 to 2009. He also played briefly with the

San Fernando Valley Quakes San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American soccer team based in Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, whe ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

in 2007.

Professional

After playing and coaching for several years in various Los Angeles-area amateur leagues, Bravo turned professional when he signed with the expansion

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games ...

of the new USL Professional League in February 2010. He made his professional debut - and scored his first professional goal - on April 15, 2011, in a 3–0 victory over Sevilla Puerto Rico

Personal

Gerardo's brother, Jhonny Bravo, is also a professional soccer player.

References

1981 births Living people Footballers from Lima Men's association football midfielders Peruvian men's footballers San Fernando Valley Quakes players Orange County SC players USL League Two players USL Championship players People from Sylmar, Los Angeles {{Peru-footy-midfielder-stub