Mason Stajduhar

Mason James Stajduhar (born December 2, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.

Club career

Orlando City

On November 9, 2015, Orlando City announced the signing of Stajduhar to a Homegrown contract. He became the club's fourth homegrown player. Prior to his signing, Stajduhar had been part of the club's U.S. Soccer Development Academy Program and was named to the under-18 USSDA East Conference Best XI.

Stajduhar was loaned to USL side Louisville City on April 30, 2016, but didn't make an appearance for the club.

Stajduhar was loaned out again on March 15, 2019, to USL Championship side Tulsa Roughnecks for their 2019 season. He made his professional debut on March 29 in a 2–1 win over RGV Toros. He was briefly recalled by Orlando City on June 24 owing to Greg Ranjitsingh's participation in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and an injury to Adam Grinwis before returning to Tulsa in July. In July 2019, Stajduhar was selected to take part in the MLS Homegrown Game. Having had his original contract option declined at the end of the season, Stajduhar renegotiated a new one-year deal with Orlando ahead of the 2020 season.

On December 14, 2020, it was announced Stajduhar had signed for New York City FC on loan as an emergency backup goalkeeper with the team competing in the final stages of the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League being held at Orlando's Exploria Stadium. Regular starter Sean Johnson was not permitted to travel after being ruled a close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 while backup Brad Stuver left the club with his contract expiring that month. Stajduhar was an unused substitute behind usual third-string goalkeeper Luis Barraza as New York City lost 4–0 to Tigres UANL.

On July 30, 2021, 2,090 days after signing his first senior contract with the club, Stajduhar made his Orlando City debut, starting in an MLS game against Atlanta United. He was credited with one save during the game but notably conceded a goal to Josef Martínez in the opening 47 seconds and a long-range goal from Marcelino Moreno during Orlando's come from behind 3–2 victory.

On June 22, 2024, Stajduhar broke a club record for the most saves in a single match when he recorded 11 saves against Chicago Fire in a 4–2 win, breaking Joe Bendik's record of 10 saves against Sporting Kansas City in 2016.

Season-ending injury

On June 28, 2024, in a match against New York City FC, Stajduhar broke his right tibia and fibula while challenging for the ball when he collided with NYCFC player Malachi Jones, who also suffered a broken tibia and fibula. The NYCFC attack in which the players were injured began when Jones received the ball when he was in an offside position before running towards goal with the ball, prompting Stajduhar to slide out of the penalty box to try and intercept him, and both players broke their right legs when they collided. Orlando City teammate Dagur Dan Þórhallsson described how he heard a clicking sound when the players collided and then how he saw "his leg was just dangling" before going to the stands and closing his eyes. Stajduhar was replaced by Javier Otero, marking the goalkeeper's MLS debut, and required hospitalization. Following the match Orlando City head coach Óscar Pareja criticized the current offsides rule saying that "they need to get better at this ruling" when the "offside is very obvious" in order to avoid unnecessary injuries like Stajduhar's. Stajduhar's injuries resulted in him undergoing surgery and him being placed on the season-ending injury list.

Real Salt Lake

On January 15, 2025, Stajduhar was traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and Real Salt Lake's natural second-round draft pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and up to $150,000 in further GAM if certain performance-based metrics were met. On June 11, Stajduhar started and played a full match for Real Salt Lake's reserve affiliate Real Monarchs in a 2–1 victory over Tacoma Defiance.

International career

Youth

On April 22, 2015, Stajduhar was called up a U-18 training camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina for two matches against the country's under-18 side and a match against Herzegovinian club Å iroki Brijeg.

Later that year in November, Stajduhar was called up to the U-20 squad by Tab Ramos for the Four Nations Tournament in Germany against Germany, Scotland, and Mexico. On January 4, 2016, Stajduhar joined another U-20 training camp, this time in Miami against local competition.

Personal life

On November 18, 2017, it was announced that Stajduhar had been diagnosed with localized Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and had begun to undergo chemotherapy. Team doctors found a cancerous lesion during a routine exam. Having continued to train throughout his treatment, Stajduhar completed his chemotherapy and returned to playing in full with Orlando City on June 20, 2018.

On April 28, 2024, Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana were arrested on disorderly conduct charges after they allegedly refused to leave the Tier Nightclub in Downtown Orlando. Club bouncers alleged the pair were intoxicated and that they had yelled at a woman near the club entrance before the couple were removed. Stajduhar allegedly then tried to re-enter the club with him later claiming that the bouncers had struck Tatiana and he wanted to make sure that she was okay before the pair were handed over to Orlando Police Department officers and arrested, with Tatiana allegedly pushing an officer to the ground in the process.

Career statistics

Club

Honors

Orlando City
*U.S. Open Cup: 2022

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stajduhar, Mason
1997 births
Living people
Men's association football goalkeepers
Orlando City SC players
Louisville City FC players
Orlando City B players
FC Tulsa players
American men's soccer players
USL Championship players
Homegrown Players (MLS)
USL League One players
New York City FC players
Major League Soccer players
MLS Next Pro players
Sportspeople from Salem, Massachusetts
Real Salt Lake players
21st-century American sportsmen
Soccer players from Massachusetts
Real Monarchs players