Danny Vitiello - Sacramento Republic FC

Position	Goalkeeper

Pronunciation: VIT-ee-EL-oh
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-2
Weight: 185 lbs
Born: March 6, 1996
Hometown: Massapequa, New York
Nationality: United States
College: University of Albany
Previous Club: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Joined Republic FC: December 21, 2022 (re-signed to multi-year contract on November 8, 2023)

2024 STATS

Career Bio

2023 USL Championship – Republic FC: 33 starts in 33 appearances, 2,970 minutes, 28 goals conceded, 75.9% save success rate, 0.85 goals against average (regular season + playoffs)

In his first 2 seasons with Republic FC, Vitiello has already claimed the club’s all-time record in clean sheets. He had a stellar first campaign for Sacramento in 2022, making 25 starts in 25 appearances and only conceding 23 goals. In the Open Cup, he had 3 shutouts and TheCup.us named him the Semifinal Player of the Round after he held MLS side Sporting Kansas City scoreless through 120 minutes and went on to block Graham Zusi’s attempt in the ensuing penalty shootout.

In 2023, he became the first-ever Republic FC player to win the USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year after he recorded a career-high 11 clean sheets in the regular season. He conceded only 25 goals across 30 regular season appearances, earning him his second career Golden Glove Award with a goals-against average of 0.83 – he was just the second player in league history to earn the honor twice. He also earned his first career selection to the USL Championship All-League First Team.

Vitiello joined Sacramento following two seasons with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC where he made 36 appearances. In 2020, he claimed the starters’ role mid-way through the abbreviated campaign and went on to post the league’s lowest Goals Against Average rating, logging six clean sheets in eight appearances. He earned the 2020 Golden Glove Honor following the season for posting the league’s lowest Goals Against Average rating at 0.5. In 2021 he started 27 contests, conceding just 26 goals, finishing fourth in the league with nine clean sheets, and earning a nod to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 6.

The Massapequa, New York Native first entered the league in 2019, signing with Nashville SC who then sent him to New Mexico United on loan for the season. Prior to turning pro, Danny played four seasons at the University at Albany, where he set a program record for career victories for a goalkeeper (26), amassed 221 saves and allowed just 61 goals in 60 matches across four seasons. His play in the box helped the Great Danes to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017, reaching the second round both times. He also featured for USL League Two side Long Island Rough Riders in 2018.