Francisco Calvo
Calvo with Minnesota United in 2019
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier Calvo Quesada[1]
Date of birth (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth San José, Costa Rica
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Juárez
Number 16
Youth career
2005–2010 Saprissa
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 San Jacinto Coyotes 14 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Herediano 23 (1)
2012 Pérez Zeledón 21 (5)
2013 Nordsjælland 3 (0)
2013–2015 Herediano 49 (6)
2015 → Santos (loan) 21 (5)
2015–2016 Saprissa 63 (14)
2017–2019 Minnesota United 60 (5)
2019–2021 Chicago Fire 62 (5)
2022 San Jose Earthquakes 13 (2)
2022–2023 Konyaspor 48 (3)
2024– Juárez 3 (0)
International career‡
2011 Costa Rica U20 4 (1)
2011– Costa Rica 88 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 February 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:56, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Francisco Javier Calvo Quesada (born 8 July 1992) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga MX club Juárez and the Costa Rica national team.

Early life

After starting with Deportivo Saprissa as a youth player from 2005 to 2010, Calvo moved to the United States to study at San Jacinto College after getting a scholarship and played football at university level during that period.[3]

Club career

On his return to Costa Rica in 2011, Calvo played for Herediano before a stint at Pérez Zeledón where he scored 5 goals in 21 matches.[4] In January 2013 he moved abroad to play for then Danish champions Nordsjælland[5] but he returned to Herediano in summer 2013.[6] In January 2015, Calvo joined Santos de Guápiles as a loan.[7]

In late May, Francisco joined Saprissa. In his first season with Saprissa, he appeared in 39 matches and scored five goals. The following season, he continued to be a set-piece threat as he scored 9 goals in 24 matches playing as a defender.

On 27 December 2016, Calvo joined Major League Soccer side Minnesota United FC.[8] In 2018, Calvo was selected as an MLS All-Star, becoming the first Minnesota United player in club history to receive the honor.[citation needed]

On 3 May 2019, Calvo was traded to Chicago Fire.[9] Following the 2021 season, Calvo's contract option was declined by Chicago.[10]

On 26 January 2022, Calvo signed as a free agent with San Jose Earthquakes.[11] On 5 March 2022, Calvo scored two late set piece goals for a ten-man San Jose team to salvage a 3–3 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. This performance led to him being named in the MLS Team of the Week.[12] He then moved to Konyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.

On 15 January 2024, Calvo signed with Juárez in Mexico.[13]

International career

On 29 May 2011, Calvo made his debut with the Costa Rica senior team in San José in a friendly game against Nigeria.[14] He was also part of the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Calvo was also a reserve call-up for Costa Rica at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[15] and later impressed senior head coach Ricardo La Volpe to win him a call-up for the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 Copa América. He made his debut in the competition in a game against Colombia, which ended in a 1–0 loss, and played in a 2–0 win against Bolivia.[16] also Francisco played Argentina in a 3–0 loss.

In May 2018, Calvo was named in Costa Rica’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[17] He later reprised the same role at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 November 2020[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Herediano 2011–12 Costa Rican Primera División 23 1 3[a] 0 26 1
Pérez Zeledón 2012–13 21 5 — 21 5
Nordsjælland 2012–13 Danish Superliga 3 0 — 3 0
Herediano 2013–14 Liga FPD 29 3 1[a] 0 30 3
2014–15 20 3 4[a] 1 24 4
Total 72 7 8 1 80 8
Santos (loan) 2014–15 Liga FPD 21 5 — 21 5
Saprissa 2015–16 39 5 4[a] 0 43 5
2016–17 24 9 4[a] 1 28 10
Total 63 14 8 1 71 15
Minnesota United 2017 Major League Soccer 27 2 — 27 2
2018 26 2 — 26 2
2019 7 1 — 7 1
Total 60 5 0 0 60 5
Chicago Fire 2019 Major League Soccer 23 3 1[b] 0 24 3
2020 22 1 — 22 1
Total 45 4 1 0 46 4
Career total 285 40 17 2 302 42
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

International

As of match played 20 November 2023[19]
National team Year Apps Goals
Costa Rica 2011 3 0
2015 8 0
2016 6 0
2017 16 3
2018 11 1
2019 6 2
2020 1 0
2021 16 1
2022 10 1
2023 11 3
Total 88 11

International goals

Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first.[19]
List of international goals scored by Francisco Calvo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 January 2017 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama  Honduras 1–1 1–1 2017 Copa Centroamericana
2 13 June 2017 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica  Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 2–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 11 July 2017 BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States  Canada 1–1 1–1 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
4 3 June 2018 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica  Northern Ireland 3–0 3–0 Friendly
5 14 November 2019 Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao  Curaçao 2–1 2–1 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
6 17 November 2019 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica  Haiti 1–0 1–1
7 6 June 2021 Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, United States  Honduras 2–2 2–2 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals
8 5 June 2022 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica  Martinique 2–0 2–0 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A
9 4 July 2023 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States  Martinique 2–1 6–4 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
10 8 September 2023 St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England  Saudi Arabia 1–0 3–1 Friendly
11 20 November 2023 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama  Panama 1–3 1–3 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A
Last updated 20 November 2023

Honours

CS Herediano

Deportivo Saprissa

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Costa Rica (CRC)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 7. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Francisco Calvo se abre su camino". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Francisco Calvo statistics". Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Francisco Calvo firmó con el campeón danés". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Francisco Calvo está cerca de regresar al Herediano". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Francisco Calvo firmó con Saprissa a partir del Invierno 2015". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  8. ^ "MNUFC Signs Dynamic Defender Francisco Calvo". Minnesota United FC. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Minnesota United trades Francisco Calvo to Chicago for cash". Star Tribune. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Chicago Fire FC Announce 2021 Roster Decisions | Chicago Fire FC". Chicagofirefc.com.
  11. ^ "NEWS: Earthquakes Sign Costa Rica National Team Defender Francisco Calvo | San Jose Earthquakes". Sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  12. ^ "NEWS: Francisco Calvo Selected to MLS Team of the Week". Sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Francisco Calvo, refuerzo Bravo" [Francisco Calvo, Bravo reinforcement] (in Spanish). FC Juárez. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ^ "San Jac star plays national soccer for Costa Rica". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Una nueva figura sustituirá a Gamboa | Federación Costarricense de Fútbol". Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  16. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Keylor Navas & six MLS players named in Costa Rica's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal.com. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  18. ^ Francisco Calvo at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Francisco Calvo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  20. ^ CONCACAF [@CNationsLeague] (8 June 2021). "Here is the Best XI of the Concacaf Nations League Finals" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 June 2021 – via Twitter.

External links

FC Juárez – current squad
Costa Rica squads
Categories