Luka Prpa: FC Naples Finds its Veteran Attacker
The 26 year old is also looking for a comeback after a down year with Chicago Fire II
Image credit Chicago Fire II
FC Naples announced the signing of attacking midfielder Luka Prpa this morning. The 26 year old native of Milwaukee joins the expansion club after two seasons with Chicago Fire II.
Prpa’s first season with the MLS NextPro side in 2023 was a career best with seven goals and seven assists. He earned team MVP honors that season, and returned for 2024 hoping to run it back. Unfortunately that season appears to have been derailed by injury, and he made only 13 appearances.
With Chicago Fire and its II side undergoing a rebuild after the first team hired Gregg Berhalter as head coach, Prpa departed the Chicago system in free agency.
Prpa was already known to FC Naples’ coach Matt Poland from his time in Chicago.
“Luka was a player we identified early in the recruiting process,” said Poland via the team’s press release, “he has excelled in every environment he has played in.”
“His experience and versatility will be important for us throughout the season,” said Poland.
Including playoffs, Prpa has nine goals and nine assists across 41 appearances for Chicago Fire II. Prior to his two seasons there, he spent two seasons with Hartford Athletic and one with RGV Toros in USL Championship, where he had five goals and an assist over 55 total appearances.
Prpa was drafted 34th overall by Houston Dynamo in the 2020 MSL SuperDraft, after earning All-Big East honors in 2017, 2018 and 2019 with Marquette University.
While FC Naples previously signed several attackers, Prpa immediately becomes the highest value veteran of the group. He joins 28 year old Ian Cerro, a NISA veteran who spent 2023 with RGV Toros in the USL Championship; 23 year old playmaking midfielder Jayden Onen; 20 year old Tyler Pasnik, himself coming off of a season in MLS NextPro with Huntsville; 24 year old striker Karsen Henderlong, who made five appearances with Indy Eleven in 2024; and new pro Justin Weiss.
P.S., in case you were wondering, FC Naples kindly provided the following information on how to say Luka Prpa out loud:
Pronunciation: Loo-Ka Pa-ear-pa