Luka Gavran

Luka Robert Gavran (born May 5, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as an goalkeeper for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

Early life
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Gavran started playing youth soccer at age six with Hamilton Croatia SC, initially playing as a striker, switching to goalkeeper when he was 13. He also spent some time in the Dinamo Zagreb youth development system. Afterwards, he joined GPS Academy. With GPS he won a Vase Cup title in Northern Ireland in 2017 and was the Ontario Academy Soccer League Goalie of the Year.

College career
In 2018, he received a scholarship to St. John's University to play for the men's soccer team. He redshirted his first year in 2018. He made his debut on August 30, 2019 against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. After splitting time in net during his first two seasons, he became the full-time starter during his junior year in 2021, leading the country in shutouts and save percentage. In September 2021, he earned back-to-back Big East Goalkeeper of the Week honours. In 2021, he was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, a College Soccer News Second Team All-American, and a United Soccer Coaches Third-team All-American.

Club career
In 2021, he was on the roster for Manhattan SC in USL League Two, but did not appear in any matches.

In 2022, he was selected in the 2nd round (31st overall) in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC. After attending pre-season with Toronto FC, in March 2022, he signed a professional contract with the second team, Toronto FC II, in MLS Next Pro. He made his debut on April 3 against FC Cincinnati 2. He was named MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Month for July 2022. In August 2022, he was named as a competitor for the MLS All-Stars Skills Challenge ahead of the 2022 MLS All-Star Game. On June 21, 2023, he signed a short-term loan with the Toronto FC first team. He signed a second short term loan a few days later on June 24.

In August 2023, he signed a contract with the Toronto FC first team for the remainder of the 2023 season, with club options for 2024 and 2025. His signing came via the MLS Extreme Hardship rule as Toronto had fewer than two available goalkeepers. He later re-joined the second team on loan for some matches. He made his Major League Soccer debut for the first team on September 24, 2023 in a loss against New York City FC, where he saved a penalty kick during the match. He recorded his first clean sheets in March 2024, posting shutouts against Charlotte FC and Atlanta United FC.