 Galavis was born in Ithaca, New York, to Venezuelan parents Saul Galavis and Nelly Guinand and is the second of three siblings, he moved with his family to Barquisimeto, Venezuela, when he was 2 years old.He returned to the United States to play college soccer for Roberts Wesleyan College, where as of 2006 he was tied with two others for that team's third-highest number of assists (25).After several seasons playing in the Primera División Venezolana with Dep.