Fafà Picault

Fafà Picault[1]
Personal information
Full name Fabrice-Jean Picault[2]
Date of birth (1991-02-23) February 23, 1991
Place of birth New York, New York, United States
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Forward / Winger
Club information
Current team
 Philadelphia Union
Number 9
Youth career
2006–2011 Cagliari
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012 Tampa Bay Rowdies 18 (0)
2014 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 24 (12)
2015 AC Sparta Prague 0 (0)
2015–2017 FC St. Pauli 22 (4)
2017– Philadelphia Union 55 (17)
National team‡
2016– United States 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 19, 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 11, 2018

Fabrice-Jean "Fafà" Picault (born February 23, 1991) is an American soccer player who plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.

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

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 IX 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]

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.[21] He did not make an appearance.

Picault was called up to the United States senior team for a May 2016 friendly against Puerto Rico[22] 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.[23]

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

  1. ↑ Tenorio, Paul (May 18, 2016). "Little-known 'Fafa' Picault gets his shot to impress at USMNT camp". FourFourTwo. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Fabrice-Jean Picault Personenprofil". DFB (in German). Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  3. ↑ Brian Sciaretta (December 15, 2009). "Picault emerging in Italy's Primavera". Yanks Abroad. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zeitlin, Dave, ed. (July 10, 2017). "They call me Fafa: 10 Things with Philly's globetrotting speedster Picault". MLS. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ Brian Sciaretta (May 2, 2016). "Fafa Picault Tells ASN: 'I'm Happy & Extremely Hungry'". American Soccer Now. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Michelle Kaufman (September 25, 2014). "Fort Lauderdale Strikers' 'Fafa' Picault back home after chasing dream in Italy". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Home - nasl.com".
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Brian Quarstad (November 30, 2012). "Three NASL Teams Announce Roster Moves: Carolina, Minnesota and Tampa". IMSoccer News. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Fort Lauderdale Strikers".
  12. ↑ Potvrzeno: Hušbauer míří do Cagliari, Spartu posílí neznámý Američan, Česká televize, Retrieved January 10, 2015 (Czech)
  13. ↑ "More squad moves - AC Sparta Praha". sparta.cz. AC Sparta Praha. June 17, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. 1 2 ""Fafa" Picault hat eine interessante Vita vorzuweisen" (in German). Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Bewerbungstour beendet: Picault bleibt am Millerntor". Kicker Online (in German). April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Philadelphia Union Sign Winger Fabrice "Fafa" Picault" (in German). Philadelphia Union. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  18. ↑ Benjamin Baer (March 11, 2017). "Philadelphia Union 2, Toronto FC 2 | MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  19. ↑ Dave Zeitlin (May 13, 2017). "DC United 0, Philadelphia Union 4 | MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Fafa Picault, Pierre da Silva suspended three games for offensive language". MLSsoccer.com. March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Fort Lauderdale Strikers".
  22. ↑ https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/05/16/usa-puerto-rico-roster-friendly-usmnt-copa-america-klinsmann
  23. ↑ Panizo, Franco (May 20, 2016). "Fabrice Picault looking to prove worth in first USMNT camp". SBI Soccer. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
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