Gregory Nicholas Ranjitsingh (born 18 July 1993) is a professional

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, rugb ...

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 ...

for

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 Cana ...

club

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

. Born in Canada, Ranjitsingh represents

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

internationally. Ranjitsingh spent four years with

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

before joining Louisville City in March 2015. In August 2016, he became the first Louisville player to be called up for international play after the Trinidad and Tobago national team selected him for 2018 World Cup qualification.

Early life

Ranjitsingh was born in Scarborough,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada; a suburb of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. His parents are of

Indo-Caribbean Indo-Caribbeans or Indian-Caribbeans are Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, Indian people in the Caribbean who are descendants of the Girmityas, Jahaji Indian indenture system, Indian indentured laborers brought by the United Kingdom ...

descent, and he would make yearly trips to his father's home country

. His mother is of Guyanese-Portuguese descent.

College career

Ranjitsingh played four years of

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 Ki ...

between 2011 and 2014. During his

Freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

year he was named the starting goalkeeper and made the

Atlantic Sun Conference The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Div ...

All-Freshman team. By the end of his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year, he had become one of the top college goalkeepers in the nation, ranking 3rd nationally in total saves and 9th in save percentage. He also earned the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

's goalkeeper of the year award and was named to the All-Conference team. During his time at Mercer he played 81 matches with 363 saves and 27 clean sheets. He is Mercer's career leader in both GAA and clean sheets. During the summer of 2014, Ranjitsingh played with Sigma FC of

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1O) is a semi-professional men's association football, soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league began play in 2014 and is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association as a pro-am league ...

Club career

Louisville City FC

On 26 March 2015, Ranjitsingh signed with

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

club

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

and he made his debut on 20 May in the

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

against

Lansing United Lansing United was an American amateur soccer club based in East Lansing, Michigan that competed in the Premier Development League and the National Premier Soccer League. The club's men's team folded after the 2018 season, with Lansing Ignite FC ...

. He served the season as the backup to first-choice keeper, Scotty Goodwin, and played in only one regular season match; a 2–0 loss to the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

. At the beginning of the 2016 season, Ranjitsingh was again the backup to Scott Goodwin. On 27 April, he entered the match against the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

in the 75th minute after Goodwin was sent off. He started all matches while Goodwin was suspended and was named the primary goalkeeper when Goodwin announced that he was to retire to attend

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is cons ...

. Ranjitsingh would play in 24 of Louisville's 30 regular season matches with 11 clean sheets, including his first 5 starts. He was also the starting goalkeeper for all three of Louisville's USL Cup playoff matches with two clean sheets. During the Eastern Conference Finals match against

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yor ...

, Ranjitsingh was injured in the 51st minute while Louisville lead 1–0. He was replaced by Tim Dobrowolski, and New York ultimately won the match in penalties. Ranjitsingh renewed his contract with

and remained their first-choice keeper for the 2017 season. He made his season debut on 25 March against

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wid ...

, but had to be replaced just before halftime as he suffered a hip flexor injury. He'd go on to miss several weeks and would not return until Louisville's June 3 match against the

where he conceded 4 goals. He would go on to play in 25 of Louisville's 32 regular season matches achieving 11 clean sheets. He played in all four of Louisville's USL Cup matches with three clean sheets. Louisville City would again play the

in the Eastern Conference Finals. Louisville would win the match in penalties with Ranjitsingh saving two penalties in the shootout. He also won the award for ''Fans' Choice Save of the Playoffs'' for his extra-time save against New York Red Bulls II in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs. Ranjitsingh and Louisville would go on to win the USL Cup Final against

Swope Park Swope Park is a city park in Kansas City, Missouri. At , it is the 51st-largest municipal park in the United States, and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to ...

. Ranjitsingh continued as Louisville's starting goalkeeper into 2018 and he made his season debut on March 17 with a clean sheet against USL expansion side Nashville SC. He appeared in 32 of Louisville's 34 league matches with 11 clean sheets. Only missing matches due to a

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...

injury he sustained on September 22 against

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

. He also appeared in all four of Louisville's

USL Cup The USL Championship Final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports lea ...

playoff matches; earning a clean sheet in two. Ranjitsingh and Louisville went on to win the USL Cup Final for the second consecutive season. This time against

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Orlando City

On 18 December 2018, Ranjitsingh announced via a farewell social media post that he was to depart Louisville City. The following day the club confirmed he was to be reunited with

James O'Connor James O'Connor may refer to: Politics and law * James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana * James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana * James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor (1886–1 ...

who had left Louisville to coach

side Orlando City earlier in the year. He made his debut for the club on 15 May 2019 in a 2–1 defeat to

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

. On November 21, 2019, after O'Connor was sacked, Ranjitsingh had his contract option for the 2020 season declined by Orlando as part of the end-of-season roster decisions.

Minnesota United

On November 25, 2019,

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...

confirmed that they had selected Greg Ranjitsingh with the 16th pick in the 2019 End-Of-Year Waiver Draft.

Philadelphia Union

In earlier 2021, he spent a week at training camp with

, before signing a one-year contract in April, with the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 2010 ...

MLS Pool

During the 2021 season, he was released by Philadelphia and subsequently signed as the

MLS Pool Major League Soccer has a set of emergency goalkeepers who are signed to a contract with the league and are loaned to teams during emergencies in which they are missing a goalkeeper due to injuries or suspensions. The pool goalkeeper trains with a ...

goalkeeper. On September 3, he joined

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the US ...

ahead of their match against

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

to serve as the backup, as Orlando was missing two goalkeepers due to injury and international duty. On September 15, Ranjitsingh joined

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club, commonly referred to as LAFC, is an American professional Association football team based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The club ...

for its match against

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...

. On December 4, he was added to the roster for the

ahead of their Eastern Conference playoff match 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 b ...

, as the Union had 11 players enter COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Toronto FC

In January 2022, he signed a two-year contract with an option for a third season with

. In April, he was sent on loan to

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, who play in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as wel ...

International career

Born to a Trinidadian father and Guyanese-Portuguese mother, Ranjitsingh is eligible for Canada, Guyana, Portugal, and Trinidad and Tobago. He declared his interest in representing Trinidad and Tobago nationally due to his upbringing. In 2011, he received his first callup to the Trinidad and Tobago U20 team. He remained an active part of the U20 team. In August 2016, Ranjitsingh received a call-up to the Trinidad and Tobago national team for

2018 World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...

. He became the first Louisville City player to be called up for a senior national team, but was an unused substitute in a 2–2 draw with

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

and a 4–0 defeat to the USA. In 2018, Trinidad failed to pay his and 9 other players appearance fees. On May 20, 2019, Ranjitsingh was added to Trinidad and Tobago's preliminary 2019 Gold Cup roster. He was named to the final squad on June 5. Ranjitsingh made his debut for Trinidad and Tobago in a behind-closed-doors friendly on 10 June 2019, playing the second half of a 2–0 loss to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Honours

Club

Louisville City FC *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranjitsingh, Greg 1993 births Living people Soccer players from Toronto Sportspeople from Scarborough, Toronto Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago through descent Trinidad and Tobago footballers Trinidad and Tobago men's international footballers Canadian soccer players Louisville City FC players Orlando City SC players Minnesota United FC players Philadelphia Union players Men's association football goalkeepers USL Championship players Canadian expatriate soccer players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Trinidad and Tobago people of Guyanese descent Trinidad and Tobago people of Portuguese descent Canadian sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent Canadian sportspeople of Guyanese descent Canadian people of Portuguese descent Major League Soccer players Sigma FC players Unionville Milliken SC players Los Angeles FC players Toronto FC players MLS Next Pro players Toronto FC II players