Fafà Picault
Fabrice-Jean "Fafà" Picault (born February 23, 1991) is an American soccer player who plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Fabrice-Jean Picault[2] | ||
Date of birth | February 23, 1991 | ||
Place of birth | New York, New York, United States | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
Playing position(s) | Forward / Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | FC Dallas | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
2006–2011 | Cagliari | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2012 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 19 | (0) |
2014 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 24 | (12) |
2015 | Sparta Prague | 0 | (0) |
2015–2017 | FC St. Pauli | 22 | (4) |
2017–2019 | Philadelphia Union | 89 | (21) |
2020– | FC Dallas | 2 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2016– | United States | 2 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 11, 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 11, 2018 |
Early life
Picault was born to Haitian immigrants[3] in New York City.[4]
Picault comes from a multigenerational soccer lineage. His grandfather played for the Haitian national team, while his father Leslie played professional indoor soccer with the Philadelphia Fever in the MISL.[5][6][4]
He grew up in the Upper West Side, near Riverbank State Park along the Hudson River, where he played his first game.[4]
At the age of nine, his parents moved with him to Miami for a change of life. When he was sixteen, he moved to Italy to begin his youth career, where he learned Italian and connected with the culture.[4]
Club career
Picault started his career with the youth and reserve team of Italian club Cagliari, but later parted ways with the club after five years,[4] for unknown reasons. He has commented on being subjected to frequent racism during his time in Sardinia.[7]
Tampa Bay Rowdies
He later attended the NASL player combine in 2012 and impressed scouts working for Tampa Bay Rowdies, and later signed a one-year deal with the club. Picault is known for his quickness and pace combined with his vision and technical abilities.[8]
Prior to starting his career with the Rowdies, Picault suffered a broken foot bone cause him to be sidelined through the preseason and first month and a half of the regular season. He made his professional debut in a 3–2 victory against Atlanta Silverbacks on May 19, 2012.[9] Making 18 appearances in league play, Picault help the Rowdies win Soccer Bowl 2012, but would register no goals.
After the end of the 2012 NASL Season, the Rowdies declined the contract option for Picault.[10]
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
He returned for a second spell in the NASL with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers ahead of the 2014 season.[7][11] Picault would experience a breakout season with the Strikers, hitting 12 goals in 24 appearances during the 2014 season, second best in the NASL that season. The Strikers reached Soccer Bowl 2014, but ultimately lost to San Antonio Scorpions.
Sparta Prague
In January 2015, he moved to Czech team Sparta Prague.[12] He was released by Prague on June 17, 2015.[13] He never made a league appearance for the club, but came on in the 84th minute in a Czech Cup match against Jablonec. During his stay with Sparta he played mostly with the U21 side.
FC St. Pauli
In September 2015, Picault signed a one-year contract with FC St. Pauli with the option of a one-year extension.[14] He was St. Pauli's last signing during the 2015–16 summer transfer window.[15] In April 2016, his contract was extended until June 2018.[16]
Philadelphia Union
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In February 2017, Picault returned to the United States and signed with MLS side, Philadelphia Union.[17] He made his MLS debut as a substitution in the Union's home opener against Toronto FC.[18] In May, Picault scored his first goal for the Union in a dominant 4–0 performance against D.C. United.[19] Picault became a regular contributor to the starting XI making 29 appearances in all competitions and scoring 7 goals, good for third best in the team.
Ahead of the 2018 season, Picualt received a 3-match suspension for offensive language exchanged with Pierre da Silva during a preseason, closed– door scrimmage with Orlando City.[20]
Career statistics
- As of match played 25 April 2019[22]
Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2012 | North American Soccer League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2014 | North American Soccer League | 24 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 12 | |
Sparta Prague | 2014–15 | Czech First League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
St. Pauli | 2015–16 | 2. Bundesliga | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 4 | |
2016–17 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
Total | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||
Philadelphia Union | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 7 | |
2018 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 10 | |||
2019 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |||
Total | 67 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 18 | ||
Career totals | 132 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 34 |
International career
On September 9, 2014, Picault, along with Fort Lauderdale Strikers teammate James Marcelin, was called up to the Haiti national team to face Chile in an international friendly at Lockhart Stadium.[23] He did not make an appearance.
Picault was called up to the United States senior team for a May 2016 friendly against Puerto Rico[24] and made his debut in second half of that game.
The US national team coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, described Picault as a “hungry goal scorer” and praised his instincts and ability to read the game.[25]
Personal life
Picault has maintained a connection with his Haitian roots and holds passports from both the United States and Haiti.[15]
Picault is also very fond of the cuisine and music; he especially enjoys cooked plaintain and his friends and cousin are even part of a Haitian band. He speaks seven languages, five in which he is fluent in: English, Creole, French, Italian and Spanish, while speaking a little Portuguese, and German.[4]
During his time in Italy, he maintained close relationships with players who now play in the Serie A and has an Italian agent.[4]
References
- Tenorio, Paul (May 18, 2016). "Little-known 'Fafa' Picault gets his shot to impress at USMNT camp". FourFourTwo. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- "Fabrice-Jean Picault Personenprofil". DFB (in German). Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- Brian Sciaretta (December 15, 2009). "Picault emerging in Italy's Primavera". Yanks Abroad. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- Zeitlin, Dave, ed. (July 10, 2017). "They call me Fafa: 10 Things with Philly's globetrotting speedster Picault". MLS. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- Michelle Kaufman (September 25, 2014). "Fort Lauderdale Strikers' 'Fafa' Picault back home after chasing dream in Italy". miamiherald.com. Miami Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- Brian Sciaretta (May 2, 2016). "Fafa Picault Tells ASN: 'I'm Happy & Extremely Hungry'". American Soccer Now. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- Michelle Kaufman (September 25, 2014). "Fort Lauderdale Strikers' 'Fafa' Picault back home after chasing dream in Italy". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Home - nasl.com".
- Bryan Burns (July 12, 2012). "Tampa Bay Rowdies' Fafa Picault has had more time to display his talent". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- Brian Quarstad (November 30, 2012). "Three NASL Teams Announce Roster Moves: Carolina, Minnesota and Tampa". IMSoccer News. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Fort Lauderdale Strikers". Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- Potvrzeno: Hušbauer míří do Cagliari, Spartu posílí neznámý Američan, Česká televize, Retrieved January 10, 2015 (Czech)
- "More squad moves - AC Sparta Praha". sparta.cz. AC Sparta Praha. June 17, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- "Fafa Picault wechselt zum FC St. Pauli" [Fafa Picault joins FC St. Pauli] (in German). FC St. Pauli. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ""Fafa" Picault hat eine interessante Vita vorzuweisen" (in German). Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- "Bewerbungstour beendet: Picault bleibt am Millerntor". Kicker Online (in German). April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- "Philadelphia Union Sign Winger Fabrice "Fafa" Picault" (in German). Philadelphia Union. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- Benjamin Baer (March 11, 2017). "Philadelphia Union 2, Toronto FC 2 | MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- Dave Zeitlin (May 13, 2017). "DC United 0, Philadelphia Union 4 | MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- "Fafa Picault, Pierre da Silva suspended three games for offensive language". MLSsoccer.com. March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- "FC Dallas Acquires Philadelphia Union Winger Fafa Picault". FC Dallas. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- Fabrice Picault at Soccerway
- "Fort Lauderdale Strikers". Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- "Green, Hyndman among Klinsmann's USMNT extras vs. Puerto Rico". si.com. Sports Illustrated. May 16, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- Panizo, Franco (May 20, 2016). "Fabrice Picault looking to prove worth in first USMNT camp". sbisoccer.com. SBI Soccer. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
External links
- US soccer profile
- Fafà Picault at Soccerway