David Brekalo (born 3 December 1998) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Major League Soccer club Orlando City and the Slovenia national team.
Youth career Brekalo is a youth product of Bravo, where he began his football career in 2007. He initially played as a left-back when he was younger, but ultimately transitioned to playing primarily as a centre-back.
Club career
Bravo Brekalo made his senior debut for Bravo during the 2016–17 Slovenian Third League season, making 13 appearances and helping the club gain promotion to the second tier. Two seasons later, in 2018–19, Bravo won the Slovenian Second League title and gained promotion to the top tier of Slovenian football, the Slovenian PrvaLiga, for the first time. Brekalo made his top flight debut on 14 July 2019 in a game against Olimpija Ljubljana, starting the match and playing the full 90 minutes in an eventual 2–0 defeat.
Viking In January 2021, he was linked to Swedish club Malmö FF. On 11 August 2021, he instead joined Norwegian club Viking FK, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut only four days later, in a 3–2 win against Molde, where he scored the winning goal in added time. On 28 November 2021, he received a red card for pushing teammate Patrik Gunnarsson in the final minutes of a 3–2 win against Kristiansund.
Orlando City On 8 February 2024, Brekalo signed with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Orlando City. The transfer fee was approximately $2.5 million. He made his Orlando City debut on 24 February, against CF Montréal. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 April against D.C. United.
Brekalo began playing as a left-back for Orlando City during their 2025 season after struggling with injuries during his first season in MLS. Orlando City head coach Óscar Pareja said that Brekalo's ability to play both as a centre-back and a left-back made the team better overall. On 15 May 2025, Brekalo was named to the Team of the Matchday for providing two assists in a 3–1 victory over Charlotte FC a day earlier. On 22 July 2026, Brekalo scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win at the San Jose Earthquakes, and his performance throughout the game saw him named to the Team of the Matchday for the second time in his MLS career.
International career Brekalo made his international debut for Slovenia on 26 March 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Croatia.
He was included in Slovenia's 26-man roster for UEFA Euro 2024.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBravo2016–17Slovenian Third League13000——1302017–18Slovenian Second League26200——2622018–19Slovenian Second League28410——2942019–20Slovenian PrvaLiga23300——2332020–21Slovenian PrvaLiga31300——3132021–22Slovenian PrvaLiga3000——30Total1241210000012512Viking2021Eliteserien11200——1122022Eliteserien2624160—3632023Eliteserien23340——273Total607816000748Orlando City2024Major League Soccer191—20702812025Major League Soccer29120—603712026Major League Soccer22231—10263Total7045120140915Career total254231428014029025
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSlovenia202260202351202480202570202660Total321
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brekalo goal. + List of international goals scored by David BrekaloNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan1–12–1UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
Honours Bravo Slovenian Second League: 2018–19 Slovenian Third League – Centre: 2016–17
Individual Eliteserien Player of the Month: August 2023
References
External links