Xavi Gnaulati, an attacking midfielder for the San Diego Surf, has signed his first professional contract with USL Championship side San Diego Loyal.

“It’s been a real joy watching Xavi grow, develop as a man and a player, and work extremely hard to achieve his dream,” SD Loyal Head Coach Nate Miller said in a press release. “The staff and his teammates believe deeply in Xavi and will push him to continue to take big strides forward. This is only the beginning for Xavi and we look forward to his continued development as a professional now.”

Gnaulati helped the Surf win this year's Under-18/19 National Championship in the Boys ECNL. He's trained regularly with the Loyal over the past couple of years on USL Academy contracts. Back in 2022, he played in a U.S. Open Cup match against Albion SC San Diego.

Roster News:

We've signed 18-year-old @LoyalSelect midfielder and San Diego native @XaviGnaulati to his first professional contract.

Gnaulati is the second local product (@DuranFerree) to progress through our development pathway to a professional contract with the first team.

— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) July 28, 2023

“It is incredibly rewarding to see the second local San Diego product progress from our Loyal Select program to the first team,” said SD Loyal President Ricardo Campos in a statement. “This community has so much talent and we are proud to provide the development pathway to elevate players to the next level. The future is very bright in San Diego!”

The midfielder is the second player to sign with the USL Championship side after goalkeeper Duran Ferree.