Chelsea new arrival Gabriel Slonina got a chance to give the fans a first glimpse into his personality.
Slonina signed for Chelsea back in August and then went back to his previous MLS club – Chicago Fire – for the rest of their league season.
He is now at Chelsea and has been training with the team for the past few weeks.
A United States goalkeeper, Slonina admits making his debut for the national team at 18 was a thrill.
“When I went there I wasn’t fully expecting to play,’ he told the club website.
“You still have to work for your spot and show that you deserve to play, but I thought it was a perfect time for me to show that I can play for the US Men’s National Team. And I did. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience so it was really, really nice.
“I knew I was playing the day before the game so I had good time to prepare. On the day of the game I felt normal, as if I’ve been doing this my whole life, so that was good.
“I felt very prepared, very confident heading out to the field. Obviously there was a little bit of pregame nervousness, which I think is important for a player, it shows that you want to do well, but the preparation I had leading up to it in the weeks before this game gave me the best chance to put on a good performance.
“We lost 2-1 which is not the best result but I thought I played well [he made six saves]. I could do a little better in certain moments but to make my debut and play the way I did, I’m happy with my performance but it’s a team game so you want to win games.”
