Paulo Pita

Paulo Pita (born June 3, 1994) is a former Brazilian professional soccer player and current coach. He formerly played as a goalkeeper professionally for North Carolina FC, and at the collegiate level for the Charleston Golden Eagles and the Marshall Thundering Herd.[1] He is the current head goalkeeping coach for the Sporting Kansas City academy.

Paulo Pita
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-06-03) June 3, 1994
Place of birth Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Charleston Golden Eagles 33 (0)
2018–2019 Marshall Thundering Herd 39 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 The Villages SC 13 (0)
2017 Chattanooga FC 9 (0)
2018 The Villages SC 7 (0)
2019 FC Wichita 2 (0)
2020–2021 North Carolina FC 1 (0)
Teams managed
2021– Sporting Kansas City Academy (goalkeepers)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of February 2, 2021

Career

College

Pita played college soccer at University of Charleston in 2016 and 2017.[2] In his sophomore season, he posted a 20-1-2 record en route to leading the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Division II men's soccer national championship. In the title game, he posted a shutout and was named Most Outstanding Player.[3]

He transferred to Marshall University, where he played in 2018 and 2019.[4] In his senior year, Pita led Conference USA in saves and ranked second in shutouts, helping lead the Thundering Herd to a conference championship.[5]

Professional

Concurrent with his college career, Pita played the 2016 and 2018 seasons with The Villages SC of the Premier Development League, appearing in 20 games, along with a handful of other appearances.[6] During the 2017 season, Pita played for Chattanooga FC in the National Premier Soccer League.[7] Pita started out the season as the team's back-up keeper but eventually won the starting position; making 9 league appearances. In 2019, Pita played for FC Wichita of the National Premier Soccer League.[8]

Pita was drafted 24th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Los Angeles FC.[9][10] He entered training camp with the MLS side, but was ultimately not offered a contract.

After Pita left LAFC, he joined North Carolina FC of the USL Championship for the remainder of their preseason. He signed with North Carolina FC on February 17, 2020.[5] He made his debut with North Carolina FC on September 26, 2020, earning a 2–1 win over Birmingham Legion FC.[11]

On February 2, 2021, Pita announced his retirement from the professional game, concurrently announcing that he would join Sporting Kansas City as the head goalkeeping coach for the academy.[12]

Career statistics
Club Season League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
The Villages SC 2016 USL League Two 13 0 1 0 2 0 16 0
Chattanooga FC 2017 National Premier Soccer League 9 0 1 0 1 0 11 0
The Villages SC 2018 USL League Two 7 0 3 0 1 0 11 0
FC Wichita 2019 National Premier Soccer League 2 0 - - 2 0
Lower Division Totals 31 0 5 0 4 0 40 0
North Carolina FC 2020 USL Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career Totals 32 0 5 0 0 0 41 0

References
  1. "Former Herd star Pita signs with North Carolina FC". The Herald-Dispatch. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. "Paulo Pita - Men's Soccer". UCGoldenEagles.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  3. Eclin, Greg (December 2, 2017). "Charleston wins D2 men's soccer national championship". Gazette-Mail. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  4. "Paulo Pita - Men's Soccer". HerdZone.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. "North Carolina FC Inks Deal with Brazilian goalkeeper Paulo Pita". North Carolina FC. February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. "MLS SuperDraft Takes TWO". The Villages SC. January 10, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. "12 NPSL Alums Selected in First Two Rounds of 2020 MLS SuperDraft". National Premier Soccer League. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  8. "Training Update: Rain or Shine". FC Wichita. May 7, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2020. There are new arrivals for FC Wichita, such as goalie Paulo Pita from the University of Marshall.
  9. "Get To Know LAFC's 2020 MLS SuperDraft Selection Paulo Pita". Los Angeles FC. January 9, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  10. Huddleston, Taylor (January 9, 2020). "Former Marshall men's soccer goalkeeper drafted as first round pick to LAFC". The Parthenon. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  11. Martin, Hannah (September 26, 2020). "Goals from Perez and Fortune Lead NCFC to Victory". NorthCarolinaFC.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  12. Pita, Paulo (February 1, 2021). "I have some big news to announce about my career". Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
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