Gabriel Farfán Stopani (born June 23, 1988, in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

) 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 for clubs such as

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 ...

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

, Chiapas F.C. and

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...

Career

Youth and College

Played youth club soccer in Southern California where he captured numerous team titles, including the 2002 national championship. He also played in the Youth World Championships in Japan in 2000 in the Mexico national team. In 2004, he joined IMG Soccer Academy and remained there until enrolling at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

in the Spring of 2006. After two years with the

CSUF Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West Co ...

in which he played with his twin brother Michael Farfan, he joined the youth system of Mexico's

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...

. He remained at Club América for two years before returning to the United States. During his college years Farfan also played extensively in the

USL 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 ...

, for

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an amateur American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of th ...

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

and the Los Angeles Legends.

Professional

After trialling with the club during the 2011 MLS pre-season, Farfan signed with

in March, 2011 He made his professional debut in Philadelphia's opening game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–0 win over

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

. Farfan scored his first professional goal on May 28, 2011, in a comprehensive 6–2 victory over

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 ...

. Farfan was traded to

in 2013 in exchange for a

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...

first-round pick. Farfan was loaned to

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

in early 2014 and later was sold to the Mexican club. On July 1, 2016, Farfán signed with

Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...

. On April 21, 2018, Farfán made posts on social media announcing his retirement from professional soccer.

International

Farfan was a member of the United States U-17 and played in the 2005 Youth World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

Updated April 28, 2015

Personal

Gabriel's twin brother, Michael Farfan, is another former professional soccer player who retired in February 2017. The two were teammates from 2011 to 2013 with the

References

External links

*
Cal State Fullerton bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farfan, Gabriel 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players Cal State Fullerton Titans men's soccer players Orange County Blue Star players Ventura County Fusion players LA Laguna FC players Philadelphia Union players Chivas USA players Jaguares F.C. footballers New York Cosmos (2010) players Miami FC players Soccer players from San Diego USL League Two players Major League Soccer players Liga MX players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players United States men's youth international soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Mexico American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Men's association football midfielders