| Luka Gavran | |
| Fullname: | Luka Robert Gavran |
| Birth Date: | May 9, 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Currentclub: | Toronto FC |
| Clubnumber: | 90 |
| Youthclubs2: | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Youthclubs3: | GPS Academy |
| Collegeyears1: | 2019–2021 |
| College1: | St. John's Red Storm |
| Collegecaps1: | 48 |
| Collegegoals1: | 0 |
| Years1: | 2021 |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022–2023 |
| Caps2: | 35 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2023 |
| Clubs3: | → Toronto FC (loan) |
| Caps3: | 0 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2023– |
| Clubs4: | Toronto FC |
| Caps4: | 13 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2023 |
| Clubs5: | → Toronto FC II (loan) |
| Caps5: | 1 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Pcupdate: | June 29, 2024 |
Luka Robert Gavran (born May 9, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as an goalkeeper for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario,[1] Gavran started playing youth soccer at age six with Hamilton Croatia SC, initially playing as a striker, switching to goalkeeper when he was 13.[2] [3] He also spent some time in the Dinamo Zagreb youth development system.[4] Afterwards, he joined GPS Academy.[5] With GPS he won a Vase Cup title in Northern Ireland in 2017 and was the Ontario Academy Soccer League Goalie of the Year.[6] [7]
In 2018, he received a scholarship to St. John's University to play for the men's soccer team.[5] He redshirted his first year in 2018. He made his debut on August 30, 2019 against the Appalachian State Mountaineers.[8] After splitting time in net during his first two seasons, he became the full-time starter during his junior year in 2021, leading the country in shutouts and save percentage.[9] In September 2021, he earned back-to-back Big East Goalkeeper of the Week honours.[10] [11] In 2021, he was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year,[12] a College Soccer News Second Team All-American,[13] and a United Soccer Coaches Third-team All-American.[14]
In 2021, he was on the roster for Manhattan SC in USL League Two, but did not appear in any matches.[15]
In 2022, he was selected in the 2nd round (31st overall) in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC.[16] [17] After attending pre-season with Toronto FC,[18] in March 2022, he signed a professional contract with the second team, Toronto FC II, in MLS Next Pro.[19] He made his debut on April 3 against FC Cincinnati 2.[20] He was named MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Month for July 2022.[21] [22] In August 2022, he was named as a competitor for the MLS All-Stars Skills Challenge ahead of the 2022 MLS All-Star Game.[23] On June 21, 2023, he signed a short-term loan with the Toronto FC first team.[24] [25] He signed a second short term loan a few days later on June 24.[26] [27]
In August 2023, he signed a contract with the Toronto FC first team for the remainder of the 2023 season, with club options for 2024 and 2025.[28] [29] His signing came via the MLS Extreme Hardship rule as Toronto had fewer than two available goalkeepers.[30] He later re-joined the second team on loan for some matches.[31] He made his Major League Soccer debut for the first team on September 24, 2023 in a loss against New York City FC, where he saved a penalty kick during the match.[32] He recorded his first clean sheets in March 2024, posting shutouts against Charlotte FC and Atlanta United FC.[33]
| Season | League | Playoffs | National cup | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Toronto FC II | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| Toronto FC | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 49 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0 | |||