Giovanni Calderón

Giovanni Dwight Calderón Chaparro (born February 8, 2002) is a footballer who plays as a defender for the MLS Next Pro club Real Monarchs. Born in the mainland United States, he plays for the Puerto Rico national team.

Early life Calderón was born in North Haven, Connecticut to a Colombian father and Puerto Rican mother.

Club career Early career Calderón first took an interest in soccer from the age of three, and joined his first club, Connecticut Football Club Impact, at the age of eight, playing alongside ten year olds. He played youth soccer for FC Westchester, before going on to play for a number of academy sides, including professional clubs D.C. United and New York City FC.

He played for the United States Naval Academy's soccer team, the Navy Midshipmen, in 2021. He then transferred to the California State University, Fullerton, where he again represented the university in soccer and captaining the side.

Professional In May 2021, he signed a contract with Hartford Athletic of the USL Championship, following a trial in March of the same year. He became the first player in the club's history to sign a USL Academy Contract, which allowed him to keep his collegiate eligibility while remaining eligible to represent Hartford Athletic in USL competitions, having already committed to playing for the Navy Midshipmen in December 2020.

Despite this, he went on to play for AC Connecticut in the USL League Two in the same month. He made three appearances for AC Connecticut, before signing with the Ventura County Fusion for 2022 - going on to make five appearances in the league and five in the playoffs. While at Ventura County Fusion, he captained the side and won the 2022 USL 2 National Championship.

On July 6, 2024, he signed with New England Revolution II of MLS Next Pro.

International career Calderón made his senior international debut for Puerto Rico on September 6, 2019, in a 4–0 friendly loss to Honduras.

Personal life He has two elder brothers, Joshua and Neekoli, both of whom played soccer, with Joshua also representing the Puerto Rico national football team.

International