Preston Burpo (born September 26, 1972 in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

) is a retired American soccer player who is currently the goalkeeper coach for

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...

in Major League Soccer.

College

Burpo played collegiate soccer at

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospita ...

from 1992 to 1995. During his career there he earned a goals against average of 1.19 and recorded 38 shutouts. He was the first Penman to earn All-Region honors in 1992.

Playing career

Upon graduating in 1995 he had brief stints with

New Hampshire Phantoms The Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly the New Hampshire Phantoms) are an American soccer team based in the coastal region of southeastern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The team is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it p ...

and Boston Storm of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, and also played briefly with the Jamaican club team Harbor View FC. In 1997, he signed with

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

where he would play for the next nine years. During his career with the Sounders, Burpo appeared 143 times, notching 38 shutouts, 631 saves, and a GAA of 1.19 along the way. On March 17, 2006, Burpo signed his first contract with Major League Soccer to play for

C.D. Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gu ...

. On November 26, 2007, he was traded to San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the

2008 MLS SuperDraft The 2008 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 18, 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the ninth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was made by the Kansas City Wizards, after acquiring the selection from the expansion San ...

. He never appeared in a match for San Jose before being traded with a fourth-round pick in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft w ...

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

in exchange for

Jovan Kirovski Jovan Kirovski ( mk, Јован Кировски; born March 18, 1976) is an American former soccer player who is the Technical Director for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Kirovski is the first American to win the UEFA Champions Le ...

and

Kelly Gray Kelly Gray (born April 7, 1981 in Palo Alto, California) is a former American soccer player. He does commentary for San Jose Earthquakes games on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area Career College Gray played forward and midfielder at the University ...

on May 21, 2008. On January 22, 2010, Burpo was part of a four-player trade that sent him and

Cory Gibbs Cory Gibbs (born January 14, 1980) is an American former soccer player. He played professionally for clubs in Germany, the Netherlands and England. He also played 19 international matches for the U.S. national soccer team, including at the 2003 ...

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 compe ...

in exchange for Wells Thompson and the rights to

Jeff Larentowicz Jeffrey Adam Larentowicz ( ; born August 5, 1983) is an American former soccer player. He was a starting midfielder on the Colorado Rapids' 2010 MLS Cup Championship team, and a starting defender for Atlanta United's 2018 Cup-winning side. Du ...

. He opened the season as the Revs' starting goalkeeper while Matt Reis was out injured. On May 29, 2010, in a game against

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

, Burpo's tibia and fibula snapped when he collided with NYRB striker

Dane Richards Dane O'Brian Richards (born 14 December 1983) is a Jamaican former professional footballer, who played as a winger. He spent the majority of his career with Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls. Career Youth and college Richards was a ...

while challenging for the ball at the edge of his penalty area; many observers compared the injury to the one which ended the career of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

star

Joe Theismann Joseph Robert Theismann (born September 9, 1949) is an American former professional football player, sports commentator, corporate speaker and restaurateur. He rose to fame playing quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canad ...

in 1985, and the similar double-break which ended the career of English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

player David Busst in 1996. After the 2010 MLS season New England declined Burpo's contract option and he elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Burpo became a free agent when he was not selected in the Re-Entry Draft. He did not play a competitive soccer game after his injury.

Coaching

Burpo spent the 2011 season as a scout for the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

. On October 3, 2011, he was announced as the goalkeeper coach for Major League Soccer expansion side Montreal Impact. He was the goalkeeper coach at D.C. United in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Under his tutelage,

Bill Hamid Abdul Bilal "Bill" Hamid ( ; born November 25, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for D.C. United in Major League Soccer. Born in Annandale, Virginia, Hamid was the first D.C. United Academy player to s ...

became the 2014

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Goalkeeper of the Year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burpo, Preston 1972 births Living people American expatriate men's soccer players American men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Jamaica Men's association football goalkeepers Boston Storm (soccer) players Chivas USA players Colorado Rapids players Expatriate men's footballers in Jamaica Harbour View F.C. players New England Revolution players Seacoast United Phantoms players Sportspeople from Bethesda, Maryland Soccer players from Montgomery County, Maryland San Jose Earthquakes players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Southern New Hampshire Penmen men's soccer players Major League Soccer players USL Second Division players USL First Division players A-League (1995–2004) players D.C. United non-playing staff CF Montréal non-playing staff New York Red Bulls non-playing staff Austin FC non-playing staff