Gabriel Pec Bio
Gabriel Fortes Chaves, known professionally as Gabriel Pec, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Mainly a winger, he can also operate as an attacking midfielder, giving his coaches flexibility in the final third. After developing through the youth ranks at Vasco da Gama in Brazil, he made his senior debut in 2019 and went on to become a regular contributor for the Rio de Janeiro club before securing a move to MLS in early 2024.
Standing 1.74 m tall, Pec has been identified as one of the emerging South American wingers to move into Major League Soccer in recent years. He joined LA Galaxy on a five-year Young Designated Player contract and wears the number 11 shirt for the Carson-based club.
Early Life and Background
Gabriel Pec was born on 11 February 2001 in Petrópolis, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He grew up in a country where football is part of everyday life, and from an early age he gravitated toward the sport, eventually joining a professional academy as a teenager.
Pec joined the youth academy of Vasco da Gama in 2009, when he was eight years old. Over the following decade he progressed through the club’s age-group teams, learning the tactical and technical demands expected of a winger at one of Brazil’s traditional football institutions. His long spell in the academy laid the foundation for his later transition to senior football.
Path to Soccer
Pec’s route into professional football followed the classic Brazilian model of rising through a top-flight club’s academy. After more than ten years in Vasco da Gama’s youth system, he was promoted to the senior squad in 2019, where he initially competed for minutes in a wide attacking role.
His professional debut came on 7 September 2019 in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match against EC Bahia, a 2–0 defeat. That first appearance marked the beginning of his senior career and signaled the club’s intent to integrate him into the first team over the following seasons.
Gabriel Pec Career
Early Career (2019–2023)
Between 2019 and 2023, Gabriel Pec represented Vasco da Gama in Brazil’s top flight. He spent his early senior years adjusting to the physical and tactical demands of Série A, gradually earning more starts and becoming a familiar presence on the wing.
During the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Pec played a prominent role in Vasco’s campaign. In the opening match of the season against Atlético Mineiro, he contributed to both goals in a 2–1 victory. Later, in the 23rd round against Fluminense, he entered the match in the 75th minute and helped secure a 4–2 win, contributing directly to Vasco’s last two goals of the contest.
LA Galaxy Era (2024–Present)
On 30 January 2024, Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy announced the signing of Gabriel Pec on a five-year Young Designated Player contract ahead of the 2024 season. The move represented one of the marquee South American signings of that MLS window and reflected the Galaxy’s intent to rebuild around young, attack-minded talent.
Since arriving in Carson, Pec has worn the number 11 shirt and been deployed primarily as a winger, with the flexibility to shift into an attacking midfield role. His pace, direct dribbling, and comfort playing on either flank have allowed Galaxy’s coaching staff to vary their attacking shape throughout his time at the club.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gabriel Pec is at his most effective when operating in wide areas, where his acceleration and willingness to take on defenders in one-on-one situations can stretch opposing back lines. He is comfortable cutting inside onto his stronger foot to combine with central attackers, and his versatility also allows him to feature as an attacking midfielder when his team needs additional creativity through the middle of the pitch.
Notable Events and Milestones
A defining milestone in Pec’s career came on 30 January 2024, when LA Galaxy confirmed his arrival as a Young Designated Player, underlining the club’s long-term faith in his development. His early contributions in Série A for Vasco, including the two-goal involvement against Atlético Mineiro in the 2023 season opener, also stand out as early career highlights that helped raise his profile abroad.
Gabriel Pec Family
Personal Life
Gabriel Pec was born in Petrópolis, Brazil, and is of Portuguese descent, holding dual citizenship. He has spent much of his professional career based in Brazil before relocating to the United States to join LA Galaxy ahead of the 2024 season.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marks Gabriel Pec’s second full campaign with LA Galaxy following his January 2024 arrival on a five-year Young Designated Player contract. Coming off a transitional first year in MLS, the Brazilian winger is expected to take on a larger creative role within the Galaxy’s attack, operating primarily from the left or right flank with the freedom to drift inside.
Pec’s primary responsibilities include stretching defenses with his pace, delivering service into the penalty area, and contributing goals from wide positions. With another preseason completed in California, he will be looking to build consistency in his output and establish himself as a central figure in the team’s starting eleven.
Looking ahead, Pec’s progress will be closely tied to his adaptation to the rhythm and physicality of the MLS regular season and playoffs. If he can translate his Brazilian top-flight experience into regular attacking returns, he is well placed to become one of the league’s most influential South American wingers in 2025.
