USMNT starlet and Chelsea-loanee Gaga Slonina named Carabao Cup Player of the Round after shootout with Barnsley

Slonina's award recognizes his part in Barnsley's shootout over Wigan in the Carabao Cup's opening round. The match finished tied 1-1 through 90 minutes, with fellow American Donovan Pines scoring Barnsley's goal. From there, Slonina stepped up as Barnsley's hero.

In the shootout, Slonina made saves on Thelo Aasgard and then Josh Stones, allowing Barnsley to advance with a 4-2 shootout win. Due to his shootout contributions, Slonina beat out Watford's Tom Ince, Blackpool's Matt Pennington and Crawley Town's Jack Roles to earn the award.

“It feels amazing to have my debut come across in that way, but we produced a team effort in the second half to get back in the game, and I’m glad that I could be part of that," Slonina said of receiving the award. “It’s extra special that the fans voted for me, and I wouldn’t have been able to have such a great start without their support.”

Slonina joined Barnsley on loan this summer, completing his second temporary move away from Chelsea. He spent last season on loan at Eupen, earning his first minutes of senior soccer in Europe with the Belgian side.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper has been highly-regarded for years, having originally broken out with his hometown Chicago Fire. Slonia was a member of the U.S. squad at this summer's Olympic tournament but served as backup behind Columbus Crew shot-stopper Patrick Schulte.

Slonina has started three games so far this season, including Barnsley's most recent two in League One play.

Slonina and Barnsley will look to stay alive in the EFL Cup on Tuesday as they face fellow American Auston Trusty and Sheffield United in their second-round match. After that, the club will then look ahead to a visit to Crawley Town this weekend.