Celia Gaynor

Celia Clare Gaynor (born March 25, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender. She played college soccer for the Butler Bulldogs and the Michigan State Spartans before starting her professional career with USL Super League club Fort Lauderdale United FC and Mexican Liga MX Femenil club UNAM. She is the sister of fellow soccer player Justina Gaynor.

Early life Gaynor grew up in Shelby Township, Michigan, where she played club soccer for Nationals DA. She attended high school at the Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy in the nearby town of Pontiac. Gaynor was a three-year starter at Notre Dame prep, contributing largely to two consecutive division championships and a Michigan D2 State title in 2016. As a sophomore, she led the team with 19 goals and was named first team all-region and all-district. Gaynor reached greater heights the following year, also being named to the all-state team as a junior. In August 2016, Gaynor committed to Butler University. She would find further offensive success, recording a career-high 17 shots across 19 games. She played one more season with Butler before transferring to Michigan State University. Gaynor graduated from Butler with 41 appearances and, in the academic realm, summa cum laude honors in two fields. At the end of the season, she was named to the Academic All Big-Ten team.

Gaynor moved to the backline in her final year of college, converting into a defender. She helped Michigan State reach a consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the second time in history and played all three matches, including MSU's inaugural third-round appearance. She completed her Michigan State career having helped the team win a conference title in both years, racking up 43 appearances and 5 goals along the way. She started in Fort Lauderdale's first-ever match, a 1–1 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC. As the season progressed, Gaynor cultivated a strong center-back pairing with Laveni Vaka and was later named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for October after playing every minute of the month.

UNAM On February 1, 2026, Gaynor was announced to have signed a contract with Mexican club Pumas UNAM. She made her Liga MX Femenil debut later that day, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–1 defeat to Club América. On 18 March 2026, Gaynor received her first-ever career red card, getting sent off in the 90th minute of a loss to Tijuana after committing a second bookable offence. Gaynor went on to make 5 appearances for UNAM before leaving the club at the end of the season.

Career statistics Club