JD Gunn Earns First Professional Shutout
Gunn: "I’m excited, but I’ll be excited for the night but then tomorrow it’s back to work, and same mentality, keep moving forward and always hungry, never satisfied.”
JD Gunn reached a career milestone on Friday when he earned his first professional shutout in a 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls II.
Gunn said after the game that he was “super happy,” noting that a shutout is “like scoring a hat trick for a goalie.”
That said, he isn’t getting too caught up in the moment.
“I mean, this should be the standard, right?” Gunn said. “I’m not satisfied with where I’m at now. I want to keep growing and keep getting better, and hopefully more clean sheets to come.
“So, yeah, I’m excited, but I’ll be excited for the night but then tomorrow it’s back to work, and same mentality, keep moving forward and always hungry, never satisfied.”
Gunn joined Revs II this year after stints at Biola University and the University of Memphis. He started his seventh game on Friday, collecting four saves in the win.
As a reminder of what it took to get to this point, Gunn has several important phrases written on his wrist tape.
“I got Psalms 115:1, which just says, ‘Not to me, Lord, not to me, but to your name be the glory forever, because of your love and faithfulness to us,’” Gunn explained. “Always a reminder to play for God. Without him, I wouldn’t be here.
“11/11/16 was when my mom was declared cancer-free. Margie is the name of my great-grandmother who passed away that I was really close to. 507 is the area code for Panama, where I’m from. Gramps is for my grandfather who passed away that I was also really close to.
“AG and 7/2/23 are for my wife. That’s our wedding date, so always got to keep her on my wrist to make sure she gets some recognition as well.”
Like any player, Gunn has dreams for the future, including suiting up for the Panama National Team. He was named to the preliminary roster for the 2024 Concacaf Nation League Finals, though he didn't make the final cut.
“They have some good goalkeepers, so hopefully at some point in my career I make it onto the roster and make a tournament with them,” Gunn said. “I have to keep performing and focusing on myself and I’m sure my time will come. I just got to stay focused and keep grinding.”
Congrats JD.