Pat Phelan (born January 16, 1985 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player.

Career

Youth and College

Phelan grew up in

Enfield, Connecticut Enfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The population was 42,141 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and East Longm ...

, and attended

Wilbraham & Monson Academy Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) is a college-preparatory school located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1804, it is a four-year boarding and day high school for students in Grades 9-12 and postgraduate. A middle school, with Grades 6–8 ...

, where he was named the 2003 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. He also played club soccer for the Oakwood Soccer Club. He played college soccer for

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

, where he was a double major in political science and Spanish. He was named to the 2004 ACC All-Freshmen Team, the 2005 Top Drawer Soccer 2nd All-America team, the 2005 NSCAA All-Region Team, and 2007 ACC First Team. He was an NSCAA First Team All American in 2007 and captained the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to their first NCAA Division 1 National Championship.

Professional

Phelan was drafted in the first round (10th overall) of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

but did not make a first team start before being traded to

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

on June 4, 2008. In return, Toronto received use of an international roster spot through the end of the 2010 season. He made his MLS debut Revolution, on June 12, 2008, against

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

. On August 7, 2010, Phelan scored his first career goal against

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

on a header from a long pass from teammate Chris Tierney. The Revolution ended up winning the game, by a score of 1-0, thanks to Phelan's goal. Signed with SJK of the

Ykkönen ''Ykkönen'' (Finnish for 'Number One'; sv, Ettan) is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system (after the Veikkausliiga), although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland. The teams also play ...

in May 2012. After one season in Finland, Phelan returned to the United States when he signed for NASL club

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadiu ...

on March 1, 2013. After one season with the San Antonio Scorpions, despite several international offers, Phelan elected to retire from professional football and pursue a career in Financial Planning. He now resides on Cape Cod with his family and works for New York Life.

International

Phelan played for the USA Under-18, Under-20, and Under 23 national teams, and was part of the squad for the

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...

. He was named the Most Valuable Player of 2002 Talence International Tournament in Talence, France, and competed in the Northern Ireland Milk Cup in 2003 and 2004.

Personal

Phelan married Maggie Reddington on January 10, 2009, in

Chatham, Massachusetts Chatham () is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Chatham is located at the southeast tip of Cape Cod and has historically been a fishing community. First settled by the English in 1664, the township was originally called Mo ...

. His parents are Tom and Phyllis Phelan, of Enfield, Connecticut. He has a sister named Grace. He is the cousin of

Gerard Phelan Gerard P. Phelan (born January 20, 1963) is a former college football player who played wide receiver for Boston College. Career Early years Phelan played high school football for Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania a ...

, the recipient of

Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former football quarterback whose professional career spanned 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CF ...

's famed

Hail Mary Pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...

versus Miami on November 23, 1984.

Honors

Wake Forest University

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

(1):

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

References

External links

*
Wake Forest bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelan, Pat 1985 births Living people All-American men's college soccer players American expatriate soccer players American soccer players Association football defenders Association football midfielders Association football utility players Expatriate footballers in Finland Major League Soccer players New England Revolution players North American Soccer League players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) People from Enfield, Connecticut San Antonio Scorpions players Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho players Soccer players from Connecticut Sportspeople from Hartford County, Connecticut Soccer players from Houston Toronto FC draft picks Toronto FC players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer players Wilbraham & Monson Academy alumni