Ross Paule (born April 4, 1976) is an American former

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 ...

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, who last played for the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

Major League Soccer 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 ...

. Paule moved from Dallas, TX as a youth and joined the Memphis Futbol Club in Memphis, Tennessee. Paule also starred for Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee where he was awarded the Commercial Appeal's Best of the Preps title. Paule played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

, but left only after three seasons, becoming one of the first players to leave college early for a jump to MLS. He was drafted 11th overall by the

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, la ...

in the

1997 MLS College Draft The 1997 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on February 1 and 2, 1997 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The draft was held in conjunction with the Umbro Select College All-Star Classic. The first round of the draft took place at halftime of the ...

, and became a regular right away, a starter by his second season, appearing in 19 games and starting seven. Paule's best year with the Rapids came in 1998, when he tallied ten goals and six assists. He stayed with the team through 2001, running the team's midfield, and was atop the league's assist charts at midseason, when the Rapids traded for

midfield maestro Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

Carlos Valderrama Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (Colombian Spanish: ; born 2 September 1961), also known as ''El Pibe'' ("The Kid"), is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera, who played as an attacking mid ...

. With no place for Paule on the squad, he was dealt to the MetroStars for Steve Shak and a draft pick. Paule spent the rest of 2001 and all of 2002 with the Metros, usually playing—in a new out-of-position role of

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, as mandated by Metro coach

Octavio Zambrano Octavio Zambrano Viera (born February 3, 1958) is an Ecuadorian football coach. He is a former player with international coaching experience. Zambrano has coached in North America, Latin America, and Europe. He holds a UEFA "A" diploma and a USS ...

. Ross was traded to Columbus prior to the 2003 season for

Chris Leitch Chris Leitch (born April 1, 1979 in Pickerington, Ohio) is a retired American soccer player who is currently the general manager and a former head coach for the San Jose Earthquakes. Career College Leitch played college soccer at the Univer ...

and Jeff Matteo and spent the next two seasons there, scoring seven goals in 2004, including a hat-trick against Los Angeles Galaxy. In eight years in MLS, his totals are 31 goals and 41 assists. Paule retired early into the 2005 season because of

post-concussion syndrome Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or a year or more after a concussion – medically classified as a so-called mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 34 to 35% of people with concussi ...

. He then went on to coach a local club, WASA, for the u12A girls team. After his first season with them he moved back to Memphis and is now the executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Soccer where he is producing a Soccer Themed New Testament with high-profile professional soccer player testimonies inserted into the New Testament. Each testimony is unique as Paule is connecting the players character trait to a person of faith throughout the Bible. He also is the executive director of newly formed Arlington Soccer Academy in TN.

Career highlights

Ross Paule was inducted into the Creighton University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

United States National Team

* U17 US National Team (1991–92) * U20 US National Team (1993–95) * US Men's Full National Team Pool Player (1998-2001)

Major League Soccer (MLS)

* Played in MLS Cup Championship as a rookie vs. DC United – 1997 * Top three Rookie of the Year – 1997 * MLS Player of the Month – 1998 * MVP for Colorado Rapids – 1998 * MLS All Star Team – 1998 and 1999 * MVP for Columbus Crew – 2003 * Top three MLS Goal of the Year – 2004

Coaching

Ross has continued with his interest in soccer, serving as a coach and mentor to others, focusing on using his professional experience to develop youth soccer in the US. Ross has been involved in coaching youth soccer at the US National level through the Adidas ESP Program, where he is a Staff Coach since 2006. Adidas ESP is one of the Nation's Top Events for the elite US players ages 12–18. 300+ College coaches and professional scouts attend this event to see the best talent the US has to offer. *

, Assistant Coach (MLS) - 2005 * Memphis Futbol Club Youth Director - 2005 - 2009 * Tennessee Rush Technical Director - 2009 - 2011 * Tennessee Olympic Development Program (ODP) Staff Coach - 2007 * Arlington Soccer Academy Executive Director - 2011 to Present *

Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad. History FCA was found ...

(FCA) Soccer National Director and leading the National Soccer Ministry - 2011 - 2015 * Creighton University Women's Soccer Coach - 2014 - Current * Paule was Awarded The Big East Coaching Staff of the Year- 2020

Personal life

In 1997, Ross married Laurie Paule. He has three children, Jorden, Emma, and Rossi. They currently live in Tennessee, where Ross' wife serves as the Director/Owner of the Arlington Recreation Soccer academy with over 600 players. All three of his children play with the Arlington Soccer Academy.Off the field, Paule devotes his time to a different soccer team. His wife, Laurie, is the director and owner of Arlington Recreation Soccer, a league with more than 600 players, and their three children — Jorden, 12; Emma, 10; and Rossi, 7 — all play with the Tennessee Rush Soccer Club.
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paule, Ross 1976 births Living people American soccer players Colorado Foxes players Soccer players from Memphis, Tennessee Colorado Rapids players Columbus Crew players Creighton Bluejays men's soccer players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players Major League Soccer All-Stars A-League (1995–2004) players Colorado Rapids draft picks Sportspeople from Memphis, Tennessee Leaders of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Association football midfielders Creighton Bluejays women's soccer coaches American soccer coaches