Gonzalo Segares González (born October 13, 1982) is a Costa Rican former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who spent most of his career with

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 ...

club Chicago Fire. He currently serves as head coach for the United States U17 national team.

Playing career

Youth and college

Segares started his career playing in

Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. Their colours are burgundy and white. It ...

's minor league system, before being awarded with a scholarship to play

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

from 2001 to 2004. Segares was a strong player from his debut, starting all 83 games he played in his four seasons. He registered 16 goals and 10 assists from the back in his four years with the team, was a first-team All-CAA selection his final three years, and was a first team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

finalist as a senior. During this time he also played with the

Williamsburg Legacy Legacy is an American soccer team based in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The team plays in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team was founded i ...

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 ...

Professional

Segares began his professional career with the Chicago Fire as a 2005 SuperDraft third round selection, and quickly proved himself during his rookie campaign. Segares was in the Fire's starting eleven for the first three games of the 2006 campaign until an ankle injury sidelined the young defender for a month of action. Upon his return, Segares came back with a vengeance, starting 19 of Chicago's last 24 games. Segares also helped the "Men in Red" earn an MLS club-record fourth

Lamar Hunt U.S. 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 ...

title in 2006, playing every minute in the tournament's Final. He held down the left side of defense in Chicago's starting XI in 2008 and 2009, while balancing his burgeoning duties for both club and country. After the 2009 season, Segares left the Fire for Greek Cypriot club

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC (, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship tit ...

on a free transfer. In August 2010 Segares returned to the Fire. On December 6, 2012 Chicago Fire re-signed Segares to a multi-year deal. At the end of the 2014 season, the club declined his contract option. On February 4, 2015, Segares announced his retirement.

International

Earning his first call up in 2007, Segares participated in

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

qualifying and the

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was played from July 3 to 26, 2009 in the United Stat ...

, where Costa Rica made it to the semifinals.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Segares remained on staff with Chicago Fire as an academy coach and a club ambassador. In January 2020, he joined the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer ...

becoming United States U15 head coach. On October 18, 2021, Segares was announced as the United States U17 new head coach.

Coaching statistics

Personal

Segares holds a U.S. green card which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

Honours

Chicago Fire

**Winners (1):

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Individual

*Chicago Fire Defender of the Year: **Winner: (1):

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Segares, Gonzalo 1982 births Living people Footballers from San José, Costa Rica Men's association football defenders Costa Rican men's footballers 21st-century Costa Rican sportsmen Costa Rica men's international footballers 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Deportivo Saprissa players VCU Rams men's soccer players Legacy 76 players Chicago Fire FC players Apollon Limassol FC players Major League Soccer players USL League Two players Cypriot First Division players Costa Rican expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Major League Soccer All-Stars Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC non-playing staff All-American college men's soccer players