Andrei Chirilă

Andrei Chirilă
Chirilă with FC Cincinnati in 2026
Personal information
Full name Andrei Chirilă
Date of birth (2008-08-15) August 15, 2008 (age 18)
Place of birth Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 FC Cincinnati
Number 88
Youth career
Philadelphia Union
FC Cincinnati
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– FC Cincinnati 2 36 (2)
2026– FC Cincinnati 8 (1)
International career
2026 United States U18 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:46, September 6, 2026 (UTC)

Andrei Chirilă (born August 15, 2008), is an American professional soccer player who plays as a central defender for FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer (MLS). A product of the FC Cincinnati Academy, he signed a Homegrown Player contract with the club on April 2, 2026, becoming the youngest player in FC Cincinnati history to start an MLS match.

Early life

Chirila was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the Cincinnati area. He is the younger brother of Ștefan Chirilă, a forward who also plays for FC Cincinnati. His father introduced both brothers to soccer from a young age. Chirila holds both American and Romanian citizenship.

Club career

FC Cincinnati Academy

Chirila came through the FC Cincinnati Academy, emerging as one of the club's most promising young defenders. In the summer of 2025, he was selected to the 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game, representing the East alongside fellow FC Cincinnati Academy product Ademar Chávez.

FC Cincinnati 2

Chirila signed with FC Cincinnati 2 in the MLS NEXT Pro ahead of the 2025 season. He made his MLS NEXT Pro debut on March 9, 2025, starting and playing the full 90 minutes against Toronto FC II. Across the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season, he made 26 starts and logged 2,249 minutes, the second most of any FC Cincinnati 2 player, and scored one goal from the backline. He also helped FCC 2 qualify for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. Across all appearances with FC Cincinnati 2, he tallied 2 goals and 1 assist in 31 appearances.

FC Cincinnati

Chirila was called up to the FC Cincinnati first team on a Short-Term Agreement and made his senior debut on February 18, 2026, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One, Leg One match against O&M FC, helping the club to a 4–0 clean sheet victory. He started the return leg on February 25, again playing 90 minutes. On March 15, 2026, Chirila made his MLS debut, starting and playing 90 minutes at New England Revolution, becoming the youngest player in FC Cincinnati history to start an MLS match.

On April 2, 2026, FC Cincinnati signed Chirila as a Homegrown Player on a contract through the 2028–29 MLS season, with a club option through 2029–30. He became the third player in club history, following his brother Stefan Chirila and Ademar Chávez, to progress from the FC Cincinnati Academy to an MLS NEXT Pro contract with FC Cincinnati 2 and then to a first-team MLS contract. He is the tenth former FC Cincinnati Academy product to sign a first-team contract with the club, and the ninth as a Homegrown Player.

International career

Chirila has represented the United States at the U-18 level, earning two call-ups to the U18 Men's National Team in 2026. In the March 2026 FIFA International Window, he participated in the 2026 Torneio Internacional de Lisboa, starting in a 2–1 win over Iceland and a 1–1 draw against Portugal.

Personal life

Chirila and his older brother Ștefan Chirilă became the first pair of brothers to play for FC Cincinnati, and the first family duo to progress through the FC Cincinnati system in its entirety to reach the first team. Chirila wears the number 88 shirt, while his brother Stefan chose to wear his kit with the name "S. Chirila" to distinguish the two.

Honors

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Andrei Chirila earned his FC Cincinnati debut through his strong performance in preseason". FC Cincinnati. February 20, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "FC Cincinnati sign Andrei Chirila as a Homegrown Player". FC Cincinnati. April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Andrei Chirila is looking to remove his age from the equation". FC Cincinnati. April 9, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "7 stranieri pentru meciurile decisive de la U21: inclusiv fundașul care a jucat pentru naționala U18 a Statelor Unite!". Gazeta Sporturilor. September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Ademar Chavez, Andrei Chirila selected to 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game roster". FC Cincinnati. July 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ "RECAP: FC Cincinnati 2 drop MLS NEXT Pro season opener to Toronto FC II". FC Cincinnati. March 9, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Andrei Chirila called into U.S. Men's Youth National Team camp". FC Cincinnati. January 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Tyrone Marshall, Shavar Thomas depart FC Cincinnati 2". FC Cincinnati. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "FC Cincinnati sign homegrown defender Andrei Chirila". MLSSoccer.com. April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Andrei Chirila named to U.S. U18 Men's National Team roster". FC Cincinnati. March 20, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.