Guram Kashia

Guram Kashia (Georgian: გურამ კაშია, translit.: guram k'ashia, pronounced [ɡurɑm kʼɑʃiɑ]; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgian footballer who plays as a centre-back for San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer and captains the Georgian national team.[1]

Guram Kashia
Kashia with Vitesse in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-07-04) 4 July 1987
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 San Jose Earthquakes
Number 37
Youth career
2003–2006 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2010 Dinamo Tbilisi 91 (12)
2010–2018 Vitesse 244 (20)
2018– San Jose Earthquakes 35 (0)
National team‡
2007–2009 Georgia U21 10 (2)
2009– Georgia 76 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 October 2019

Developed at Dinamo Tbilisi, he spent most of his career at Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse, where he was captain. In eight years in the Netherlands, he played 292 official matches (24 goals) and won the KNVB Cup in 2017.

Club career

Dinamo Tbilisi

Kashia started playing for Dinamo Tbilisi. He is still a big fan of his former club.[2]

A tifo made by Vitesse fans in celebration of Kashia in 2016.

Vitesse

In 2010, Kashia moved to the Netherlands and signed for Vitesse.[3] Kashia soon became a regular member of the starting line-up of the club and two seasons after joining, Kashia was elected as the captain of the club. During his career at Vitesse, he amassed a total of 292 matches.

In August 2015, Kashia was named Best Player of August in Eredivisie.[4]

Kashia led Vitesse to the domestic KNVB Cup in 2016–17, starting all but one of their six games and recording a goal and an assist. In his five starts, the club outscored their opponents 12–2, including a 2–0 victory over eventual league champions Feyenoord Rotterdam in the quarterfinals.

In October 2017, Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of LGBT rights, leading to a backlash in his own country and calls for him to step down from the Georgian national team.[5]

His name was also transliterated as Goeram Kasjia in Dutch.[6]

San Jose Earthquakes

On 14 June 2018, Kashia joined Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes on a multi-year contract,[7] joining compatriot and close friend Vako Qazaishvili.[1]

International career
Kashia with the Georgian national team in 2016.

Kashia made his Georgia debut on 1 April 2009 against Montenegro.[8] In October 2012, he scored Georgia's only goal against Finland in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.[9]

Kashia was named Georgian Footballer of the Year twice, in 2012 and in 2013.[10] As of 14 June 2018, Kashia captains his country.[1]

Personal life

Kashia is from Tbilisi, Georgia. He married his wife Tamtuka in 2009, and their daughter Alessandra was born in 2013.[11][12] His older brother Shota is also a professional footballer and has played at Georgian Erovnuli Liga club FC Chikhura Sachkhere since 2013; both brothers wear #37 for their clubs.[13] Kashia has stated that his older brother is the reason he began playing football as a child.[14]

In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his pro-LGBT rights stand in 2017 with Vitesse.[15] He was unable to attend the awards ceremony in Monaco due to his club commitments with San Jose, but submitted a video acceptance speech in which he said, "I believe in equality for everyone, no matter what you believe in, who you love or who you are...I will always keep defending equality and equal rights for everyone, wherever I will play."[16] In December 2018, he received the Presidential Order of Excellence from Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili.[17]

He is outspoken about the ongoing illegal Russian occupation of Georgia following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[18]

Kashia obtained his U.S. green card in July 2019, qualifying him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[19]

Career statistics

Club
As of 25 November 2019[20][21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental 1 Other 2 Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Tbilisi 2006–07 Umaglesi Liga 112112
2007–08 151151
2008–09 29130321
2009–10 33861414310
2010–11 304070
Total 9112611110010814
Vitesse Arnhem 2010–11 Eredivisie 283300000313
2011–12 323300040393
2012–13 332404000412
2013–14 322212010373
2014–15 261200041322
2015–16 275102000305
2016–17 341510000392
2017–18 323006051434
Total 2442020214014229224
San Jose Earthquakes 2018 MLS 120000000120
2019 230001000240
Total 350001000360
Career total 3703226326114243638

    1 Includes U.S. Open Cup. 2 Includes European competition play-offs and Johan Cruyff Shield.

    International goals
    Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first.[22]
    #DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    1.12 October 2012Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland Finland1–01–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
    2.1 June 2018Silberstadt Arena Schwaz, Schwaz, Austria Malta1–01–0Friendly

    Honours
    Dinamo Tbilisi
    Vitesse

    Individual

    References
    1. Mendola, Nicholas (14 June 2018). "San Jose signs Miazga's running mate Kashia to fix defense". soccer.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
    2. "Guram Kashia - Dinamo is always in my heart". fcdinamo.ge. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
    3. "Official: Vitesse Sign Nacer Barazite, Matej Delac, Marcus Pedersen, Guram Kashia & Laryea Kingston". Goal.com. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
    4. "Guram Kashia was Named as the Best Player of August in Dutch Championship". worldsport.ge. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
    5. UEFA (30 August 2018). "Kashia proud of UEFA #EqualGame Award". Retrieved 23 November 2018.
    6. "Vitesse vernedert Sparta na vertrek Fraser" (in Dutch). NOS. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
    7. Earthquakes Communications (14 June 2018). "NEWS: Earthquakes Acquire Vitesse and Georgia National Team Captain Guram Kashia". San Jose Earthquakes. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
    8. "Georgia - Montenegro (Report)". eu-football.info. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
    9. "Best Georgian Footballer 2013 revealed". Georgian Journal. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
    10. "Finland-Georgia football match 1:1". Georgian Journal. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
    11. Kashia, Guram (16 September 2019). "მიყვარხარ [I love you] ♥️! Our 10 year wedding anniversary!". Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
    12. Kashia, Guram (24 September 2019). "გილოცავ ალისო 6️⃣ ♥️ Happy birthday Aliso!". Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
    13. "შოთა კაშია [Shota Kashia]" (in Georgian). FC Chikhura. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
    14. San Jose Earthquakes (28 August 2019). "Podcast: Guram Kashia on Life and Soccer in San Jose - Off Pitch 74". Youtube. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
    15. "Guram Kashia: Georgia captain becomes first recipient of Uefa #EqualGame award". BBC Sport. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
    16. UEFA (22 August 2018). "Georgia's Guram Kashia wins the first UEFA #EqualGame Award". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
    17. President of Georgia (10 December 2018). "President Margvelashvili Awards Public Figures for Spreading Humane Ideas and Contributing to Country's Development". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
    18. Kashia, Guram (21 June 2019). "20% of my country is occupied by Russia! რუსეთი ოკუპანტია! [Russia is an occupier!]" (in Georgian). Instagram. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
    19. Earthquakes Communications (29 July 2019). "NEWS: Guram Kashia obtains U.S. Green Card". sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
    20. "Guram Kashia » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
    21. "G. Kashia". Soccerway. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
    22. "Kashia, Guram". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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