Christopher Konopka (born April 14, 1985) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), 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 i ...

. Konopka is the first American born soccer player to ever win the Irish Double and also the first to win back-to-back

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

medals.

Early life

Konopka came through the youth system of the Jersey Shore Boca soccer club in

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

College career

He played

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

collegiate soccer in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

from 2003 to 2006. Konopka earned himself trials in England after his senior season with

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, and

Walsall FC Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflec ...

. However, he was unable to sign in the United Kingdom as his attempted acquisition of a Polish passport through ancestry had not yet been completed.

Club career

Early career

In the summer of 2003 he played for Jersey Falcons in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

team. In the summer of 2004 he made 8 appearances for the Jersey Falcons in the same league. Konopka was drafted in the third round, 29th overall, by the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

in 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft. He became the first player in the history of Providence College to be drafted by an MLS team. Konopka was released by the Wizards at the end of the 2007 season without making an appearance.

Ireland

In March 2008 Konopka signed a one-year contract with

Bohemian FC Bohemian Football Club ( Irish: An Cumann Peile Bóihéamach), more commonly referred to as Bohemians or Bohs, is an Irish professional association football club based in Dublin. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Irela ...

following a successful trial. He made his debut on July 1, 2008, against Derry City in the League Cup. As a member of Bohs, Konopka won the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

championship and the FAI Cup in 2008. He also impressed with the Bohemians' A-Side in the inaugural

A Championship The A Championship, also known as the Newstalk A Championship, was an association football league featuring League of Ireland reserve teams and emerging senior teams. It was a third level league in the Republic of Ireland football league system. ...

, leading Bohemians to the Grand Final. On July 28, 2009, Konopka signed a short-term contract with then

First Division side Sporting Fingal. He made his debut on October 2, 2009, in a 2–2 draw against

Monaghan United Monaghan United F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Monaghan currently playing in the Monaghan Cavan League. The club joined the League of Ireland in 1983 and subsequently went on to play in the B Division, the First Division an ...

. Konopka went on to make 3 more appearances for

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

including a 4–2 win over Bray Wanderers in the 2009 FAI Cup semi-final on October 25. Konopka helped the club win the 2009

and promotion to the

Premier Division for 2010. Konopka signed with

Waterford United Waterford Football Club formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930. Originally the ...

on December 18, 2009, for the 2010 season. He made his debut on March 5, 2010, in a 3–0 victory over Wexford Youths. Konopka received "man of the match" honours from extratime.ie for his performance in a 1–0 victory over Shelbourne on May 7, 2010. It was Waterford's first win over Shelbourne at

Tolka Park Tolka Park () is an Ireland, Irish association football ground located in the Northside Dublin, north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, Dublin, Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Irelan ...

in 11 years.

Major League Soccer

Konopka was signed by the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

from the MLS Goalkeeper Pool on July 26, 2011. Despite featuring in an international friendly that evening against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

and being re-called for 4 future matches he would not make a professional appearance for the club. Konopka was signed by

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

from the MLS Goalkeeper Pool on August 13, 2011. He made his league debut that evening in a 2–2 draw against the Chicago Fire. His emergency loan ended after the match and he returned to the MLS Goalkeeper Pool. On March 2, 2012, Konopka signed with the

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

. He made his debut on May 26, 2012, in a 1–0 loss against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. Three days later he featured in Philadelphia's first

US 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. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

victory against the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

. On September 13, 2013, the Philadelphia Union traded Konopka to

. Konopka made his debut on May 2, 2015, in a 1–0 victory against his former club the Philadelphia Union. He was named to the MLS Team of the Week on May 18, 2015, for his seven save effort in a 1–1 draw against the New England Revolution. Konopka finished 2015 with a break-out season for TFC setting the all-time single season Toronto goalkeeper league win record with 11 and his 59.5 win percentage is the best ever in Toronto goalkeeping history. Konopka played for

from 2013 to 2015 bringing the team to their first ever playoff appearance in club history in 2015. During 2015 he set TFC records for most regular single-season game wins (11) and highest regular single-season win percentage (59.5%) by any Toronto FC goalkeeper in the club's tenure.

Scotland

On March 8, 2016, Konopka joined Ross County in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

until the end of the 2015–16 season. On March 13, 2016, Konopka was a substitute for Ross County who won the 2015–16 Scottish League Cup 2–1 against Hibernian.

Return to North America

Konopka returned to Major League Soccer and signed for the Timbers on July 28, 2016. On February 15, 2017, Konopka signed with

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

side

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 t ...

England

On March 8, 2018, Konopka signed a short-term deal with

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

side

until the end of the 2017–18 season as cover for

Neil Etheridge Neil Leonard Dula Etheridge (born 7 February 1990) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Thai League 1 club Buriram United F.C., Buriram United and captains the Phil ...

and

Brian Murphy Brian Murphy may refer to: Sportspeople * Brian Murphy (Jamaican cricketer) (born 1973), Jamaican cricketer * Brian Murphy (Zimbabwean cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brian Murphy (baseball) (born 1980), American head baseball coac ...

Third stint in North America

Konopka joined

Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...

on a short-term deal as emergency goalkeeper cover. He appeared as an unused substitute in Minnesota's match against

on October 28, 2018. Konopka was signed by the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

on February 27, 2019.

International career

In December 2007, Konopka was named to the United States U-23 National Team player pool by head coach

Piotr Nowak Piotr "Peter" Nowak (; born 5 July 1964) is a Polish professional football manager and former player. He was most recently in charge of Ekstraklasa club Jagiellonia Białystok. Nowak played in Europe for Polish clubs such as Zawisza Bydgoszc ...

Post-playing career

In June 2023, Konopka played in the inaugural

The Soccer Tournament The Soccer Tournament (TST) is a seven-a-side association football tournament played in the United States, established by TBT Enterprises, creator of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TST was announced on October 11, 2022 to feature 32 teams with ...

for Conrad & Beasley United, where they advanced to the quarter-finals.

Personal life

Konopka grew up in

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a Township (New Jersey), township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its mainland United States, mainland portion is also a census-designated ...

and played both basketball and soccer at

Toms River High School East Toms River High School East is a comprehensive four-year public high school, the third high school built in Toms River in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Toms River ...

. He holds both American and Polish citizenship. He is married to Maria Papadakis.

Career statistics

Honors

Player honors

Bohemians *

Champions:

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Winners:

Sporting Fingal *

Winners:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Promotion Champions:

Waterford United * Munster Senior Cup Winners: 2010 Ross County *

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...

: 2015–16 Cardiff City FC *

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

Promotion Winners:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Coaching honors

Orlando City * MLS Next U17 National Championship: 2021 United States U15 * Concacaf U15 Champions: 2023 * UEFA U15 Development Tournament Champions (Portugal): 2023 * Vlatko Marković International Tournament Champions (Croatia): 2024

UCF Knights The UCF Knights are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando, Florida, Orlando. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NC ...

* AAC League Champions: 2022 * AAC Tournament Champions: 2022

Penn Quakers The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing. Sponsored teams Men's varsit ...

* Ivy League Champions: 2013

References

External links

*
Chris Konopka – Providence College Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Konopka, Chris 1985 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players Soccer players from Ocean County, New Jersey American people of Polish descent Sporting Kansas City players Sportspeople from Toms River, New Jersey Toms River High School East alumni Providence Friars men's soccer players Bohemian F.C. players Sporting Fingal F.C. players Waterford F.C. players New York Red Bulls players Philadelphia Union players Toronto FC players Toronto FC II players League of Ireland players Men's association football goalkeepers Jersey Falcons players Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Sporting Kansas City draft picks Ross County F.C. players Portland Timbers players Cardiff City F.C. players A Championship players FC Edmonton players Minnesota United FC players Tampa Bay Rowdies players UCF Knights men's soccer coaches