Giovanni Calderón

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Calderón and the second or maternal family name is Chaparro.

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.

Giovanni Calderón

Personal information
Full name	Giovanni Dwight Calderón Chaparro
Date of birth	(2002-02-08) February 8, 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth	North Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Real Monarchs
Number	55
Youth career
2010–2013	Connecticut FC Impact
2014–2015	FC Westchester
2016–2017	Beachside SC
2017–2018	D.C. United
2018–2019	New York City FC
2019–2020	Beachside SC
2020–2021	Nomads SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021	Navy Midshipmen	3	(0)
2022–2024	Cal State Fullerton Titans	40	(1)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021	Hartford Athletic	0	(0)
2021	AC Connecticut	3	(0)
2022	Ventura County Fusion	20	(0)
2024	New England Revolution II	0	(0)
2025–	Real Monarchs	0	(0)
International career‡
2019	Puerto Rico U17	8	(0)
2018	Puerto Rico U20	10	(0)
2019–	Puerto Rico	7	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:19; March 28, 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:12; March 28, 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Calderón was born in North Haven, Connecticut to a Colombian father and Puerto Rican mother.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[3]

College soccer

Calderón was given a scholarship worth $5,000 from the New York Red Bulls in November 2018.^[4]

He played for the United States Naval Academy's soccer team, the Navy Midshipmen, in 2021.^[5] He then transferred to the California State University, Fullerton, where he again represented the university in soccer and captaining the side.^[3]

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.^[6][7]

Despite this, he went on to play for AC Connecticut in the USL League Two in the same month.^[8] 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.^[9] While at Ventura County Fusion, he captained the side and won the 2022 USL 2 National Championship.^[10]

On July 6, 2024, he signed with New England Revolution II of MLS Next Pro.^[11]

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.^[3]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 March 2023^[12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hartford Athletic	2021	USL Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
AC Connecticut	2021	USL League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Ventura County Fusion	2022	USL League Two	5	0	0	0	5[a]	0	10	0
Career total			8	0	0	0	5	0	13	0

1. Appearances in the playoffs

International

As of matches played 28 March 2023^[13]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Puerto Rico	2019	3	0
	2023	2	0
Total		5	0