Name
Gabriel BadillaHeight
5' 11"Weight
165 lbsDate of Birth
6.30.1984 (40)Birthplace
San Jose, Costa RicaPosition
DefenderOne of the top young defenders in the CONCACAF region, Badilla signed with the Revs as an international player on Aug. 18, 2008 after a seven-season career with Costa Rican power Saprissa ... a versatile defender who can play anywhere in the back and in most formations, Badilla brings grit and tremendous international experience to the Revs.
2008: Made six regular-season appearances, including five starts as a central defender, pairing with Michael Parkhurst in the middle of a four-man backline in each start. Overall, made eight appearances, including the regular season, playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League. Made his MLS and Revolution debut against LA (Aug. 30), just two days after arriving in the United States. Missed the Revs' matches at Columbus (Sept. 6) and against Chivas USA (Sept. 11) while with Costa Rica for its 2010 World Cup Qualifiers against Suriname and Haiti. Was shown a straight red card in the 26th minute against Kansas City (Oct. 25) for "denying a goal/scoring opportunity" on Claudio Lopez, that also resulted in a penalty kick. Served his one-game suspension in Game One of the team's Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against Chicago, then entered Game Two as a substitute. Played both central defense and defensive midfield in the Revs' second-leg match against Joe Public FC (Sept. 2) in the CONCACAF Champions League.
BEFORE MLS: Made his debut with Saprissa in November 2001 and appeared in more than 130 matches for the "Monstruo Morado" ... helped Saprissa earn five national championships, including each of the last four while he was with the team ... was also a member of the Saprissa team that earned a third-place finish at the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan following its 2005 CONCACAF Champions Cup title.
COSTA RICA NATIONAL TEAM: Has earned 12 caps with the Costa Rica National Team ... was a member of Costa Rica's squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany ... captained Costa Rica's entry at the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in 2001 ... most recently joined Costa Rica for a pair of 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Suriname (W, 7-0; Sept. 6) and Haiti (W, 3-1; Sept. 10); he dressed but did not play in either match.
PERSONAL: Married to wife, Fabiola … the couple has one daughter, Lucia (2) … son of Melvin and Elizabeth Badilla … in his spare time away from soccer, he enjoys watching movies and playing tennis … his favorite team is FC Barcelona and his favorite player is Maldini.