Last Updated on September 24, 2026 by Mike

Christopher James Durkin, better known as Chris Durkin, is an American professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. Born on February 8, 2000, in Hampton, Virginia, Durkin grew up in Glen Allen and began playing organized soccer with the Richmond Kickers before progressing through the D.C. United academy and the United States youth national-team system.
Family has played a particularly important role throughout Durkin’s career. His parents, Kevin and Rebecca Durkin, spent years helping him travel between Richmond and Washington, D.C., for academy training, while his younger brother Andrew also pursued high-level youth soccer. Chris later built a family of his own with longtime partner and fellow footballer Samantha Jerabek, who became Samantha Durkin after their marriage. Here is what is known about Christopher Durkin’s wife, children, parents and siblings as of now.
Who Is Christopher Durkin’s Wife?
Christopher Durkin is married to American footballer Samantha Jerabek, who now goes by Samantha Durkin.
Their relationship dates back many years and was already well established before Chris moved to Belgium to play for Sint-Truiden. The Washington Post identified Samantha as Durkin’s longtime girlfriend in 2022 and reported that she visited him in Belgium before the COVID-19 pandemic complicated international travel.
The period apart was particularly difficult for the couple. Durkin and Samantha reportedly went approximately ten months without seeing each other while he was living in Belgium and she remained in the United States.
Their relationship continued after Chris returned to D.C. United. Samantha appeared publicly alongside him during D.C. United’s 2023 cherry-blossom jersey presentation, where she was still identified as his girlfriend.
By later in 2023, the relationship had moved toward marriage. While playing professionally in Germany, Samantha publicly referred to Chris as her fiancé.
MSV Duisburg subsequently announced in December 2023 that Samantha had returned to the United States specifically to get married. By March 2024, the German club was referring to her as Samantha Durkin and confirmed that she had changed her surname following the wedding.
Who Is Samantha Durkin?
Samantha Durkin, formerly Samantha Jerabek, is also a footballer. She grew up in Virginia and attended Clover Hill High School before playing NCAA soccer for Virginia Commonwealth University.
Samantha became one of VCU’s leading attacking players during her college career. She earned multiple All-Atlantic 10 honors and finished her university career after making a program-record 87 appearances.
Her performances eventually led to an opportunity in professional football. In 2023, Samantha joined MSV Duisburg in Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga.
Her move to Germany meant that she and Chris once again had to maintain a long-distance relationship. In an interview during her Duisburg career, Samantha explained that the situation was familiar because they had already dealt with living on different continents during Chris’s years in Belgium.
She also explained that football did not completely dominate their relationship. According to Samantha, Chris generally preferred discussing her matches or everyday life rather than spending all of their time talking about his own career.
When Did Chris Durkin and Samantha Jerabek Get Married?
Chris Durkin and Samantha Jerabek married in late 2023.
MSV Duisburg provided particularly strong confirmation of the timing. Before a December 2023 match, the German club announced that Samantha would be unavailable because she had traveled home to the United States to get married.
Several months later, the club explained that the player formerly known as Samantha Jerabek had decided to use the surname Durkin following her wedding.
Although widely available authoritative sources do not provide an exact wedding date, the club information confirms that the longtime couple married during the latter part of 2023.
Does Christopher Durkin Have Children?
There is currently no reliable public information confirming that Christopher Durkin and Samantha Durkin have children.
Neither St. Louis CITY SC nor other authoritative football sources covering Chris have announced the birth of a child. Likewise, publicly available reporting about Samantha’s football career has not identified the couple as parents.
This does not necessarily mean they do not have children, since they are entitled to keep parts of their private lives outside public coverage. It means simply that no son or daughter can currently be confirmed from dependable public sources.
As of now, Christopher Durkin has no publicly confirmed children.
Who Are Christopher Durkin’s Parents?
Christopher Durkin’s parents are Kevin Durkin and Rebecca Durkin. Both played an important role in helping their son pursue elite-level football while he was still a school student in Virginia.
Chris grew up in Glen Allen, near Richmond, but his development with D.C. United required frequent travel to the Washington metropolitan area.
The Washington Post reported that Chris’s mother, father and grandfather took turns driving him to D.C. United training. Chris often used the journeys to complete schoolwork before sleeping during the return journey.
That demanding routine lasted for years and illustrates the commitment his family made before professional football became a certainty.
Christopher Durkin’s Father: Kevin Durkin
Christopher Durkin’s father is Kevin Durkin, a former college soccer player.
Kevin played NCAA soccer at SUNY Oneonta in New York. His own experience in competitive football gave him useful knowledge when his son began emerging as an unusually talented young player.
Kevin was heavily involved in decisions about Chris’s development. When the family was repeatedly making the long journey from the Richmond area to D.C. United’s academy, he spoke with the club about whether the commitment was genuinely worthwhile and whether Chris had a realistic pathway toward the professional level.
Kevin’s approach was influenced by his own experience as a player. Rather than assuming that youth success guaranteed a professional career, he wanted to understand what D.C. United believed Chris could eventually achieve.
He also helped evaluate different career possibilities when Chris became one of America’s top teenage prospects. SoccerWire reported that Kevin and the family worked with Chris’s representative to consider opportunities in Europe as well as a professional pathway with D.C. United.
The family ultimately concluded that beginning his senior career in MLS offered an attractive route while still leaving open the possibility of moving to Europe later.
That strategy eventually worked. Chris signed his first professional contract with D.C. United at only 16 and later moved to Belgium with Sint-Truiden.
Christopher Durkin’s Mother: Rebecca Durkin
Christopher Durkin’s mother is Rebecca Durkin.
Rebecca was another important part of the demanding travel schedule required during Chris’s academy years. She regularly shared driving duties with Kevin and Chris’s grandfather while her son traveled between Glen Allen and D.C. United.
Rebecca told The Washington Post that she actually valued some of those long journeys because they allowed her to spend significant time with Chris while he was still in middle school.
She also trusted Kevin’s football experience when the family had to decide whether the demanding D.C. United academy schedule was the best path for their son.
The commitment eventually resulted in a major milestone in June 2016, when D.C. United signed Chris as a Homegrown Player at age 16. The club specifically congratulated his family for what it described as their unwavering commitment to his development.
Does Christopher Durkin Have Siblings?
Yes. Christopher Durkin has a younger brother named Andrew Durkin.
Andrew Durkin
Andrew Durkin also pursued competitive soccer during his youth.
SoccerWire identified Andrew as Chris’s younger brother while Chris was emerging through D.C. United’s academy. At the time, Andrew was described as a left-footed wide player competing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
By 2018, The Washington Post reported that the younger Durkin was part of Atlanta United’s academy.
This meant that both sons of Kevin and Rebecca Durkin had reached elite academy environments, although Chris was the first to establish himself as a professional.
Reliable recent sources provide comparatively little information about Andrew’s later football career, so it would be inappropriate to assume that he currently plays professionally based solely on his academy background.
Andrew is the only sibling of Chris Durkin who has been clearly documented in major football reporting. There is insufficient reliable information to confirm additional brothers or sisters.
How Christopher Durkin’s Family Supported His Football Career
The Durkin family’s involvement in Chris’s development began long before he signed a professional contract.
He joined the Richmond Kickers youth setup at around eight years old and later started training within D.C. United’s academy structure. Because Glen Allen and Washington were not close enough for a simple neighborhood commute, pursuing that opportunity demanded considerable travel.
Kevin, Rebecca and Chris’s grandfather divided the driving responsibilities. Chris balanced academy football with school, often completing homework during the journey.
The arrangement reflected a family decision rather than simply the ambition of a young player. Kevin repeatedly evaluated whether the travel, training demands and sacrifices were justified by the opportunities available to his son.
D.C. United eventually rewarded that commitment when it signed Durkin in June 2016. At 16 years old, he became the youngest Homegrown signing in the club’s history at that time and one of the youngest Homegrown players ever signed in MLS.
Chris Durkin and His Father’s Shared Football Background
Kevin Durkin’s experience as a college player created a particularly strong football connection between father and son.
He understood both the potential rewards and the uncertainty involved in trying to become a professional player. That helped the family approach important decisions carefully rather than simply pursuing every available opportunity.
When European possibilities emerged during Chris’s teenage years, the family considered the options but chose D.C. United as the best place for him to begin his professional career.
Chris eventually fulfilled the international ambitions the family had considered. In 2019, he joined Belgian side Sint-Truiden on loan before the transfer became permanent in 2020.
His years in Belgium provided valuable professional experience but also demonstrated the difficulties of living far away from family and Samantha.
Samantha and Chris Durkin’s Long-Distance Relationship
Chris’s move to Belgium created one of the biggest challenges in his relationship with Samantha.
The Washington Post reported that both his parents and Samantha visited him after his arrival in Belgium. Once pandemic restrictions began, however, travel became much more difficult.
Chris and Samantha subsequently spent around ten months apart.
Durkin later explained that living overseas without his usual support network contributed to his desire to return to the United States. In March 2022, he rejoined D.C. United.
The situation reversed in 2023 when Samantha moved to Germany for her own professional career with MSV Duisburg while Chris remained in MLS.
Samantha said the pair had become accustomed to maintaining their relationship across continents, even though neither enjoyed the distance.
By the end of that year, they were married.
Christopher Durkin’s Career After Marriage
Shortly before the wedding period, Chris’s MLS career entered another new chapter.
St. Louis CITY SC acquired Durkin from D.C. United in December 2023. The move sent Durkin to Missouri after two separate spells with his hometown MLS organization and several seasons in Belgium.
Durkin became an important midfield option for St. Louis and remained with the club through subsequent seasons.
In February 2026, St. Louis CITY SC signed him to a new contract running through June 2028, with an option covering the 2028-29 season.
The extension gave Durkin greater long-term stability after a career that had previously included moves between Virginia, Washington, Belgium and Missouri.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christopher Durkin’s Family
Who is Christopher Durkin’s wife?
Christopher Durkin’s wife is Samantha Durkin, formerly Samantha Jerabek. She is an American footballer who played college soccer at Virginia Commonwealth University and later professionally for MSV Duisburg in Germany.
When did Chris Durkin get married?
Chris Durkin and Samantha Jerabek married in late 2023. MSV Duisburg announced in December 2023 that Samantha had traveled back to the United States to get married and later confirmed that she had adopted the Durkin surname following the wedding.
Does Christopher Durkin have children?
No children have been reliably confirmed for Christopher and Samantha Durkin as of now.
Who is Christopher Durkin’s father?
Christopher Durkin’s father is Kevin Durkin, a former college soccer player who competed for SUNY Oneonta.
Who is Christopher Durkin’s mother?
Christopher Durkin’s mother is Rebecca Durkin. She regularly helped drive Chris from the Richmond area to D.C. United academy training during his youth career.
Does Christopher Durkin have a brother?
Yes. Chris has a younger brother named Andrew Durkin, who also played elite youth soccer and was part of Atlanta United’s academy as a teenager.
Where did Christopher Durkin grow up?
Durkin was born in Hampton, Virginia, but spent most of his childhood in Glen Allen, Virginia, near Richmond.
What is Christopher Durkin’s full name?
His full name is Christopher James Durkin.
Which club does Christopher Durkin play for?
As of now, Christopher Durkin plays for St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. His current contract runs through June 2028, with a club option for the 2028-29 season.

Ronald Mike is a football writer covering the English Premier League, providing match analysis, tactical insight, and coverage of key rivalries and title races across the season.
