John DiRaimondo (born April 23, 1986, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player.

Career

Youth

DiRaimondo went through an accelerated high school program at St. Louis University High that allowed him to graduate a year early alongside fellow soccer player and childhood friend Brian Grazier. While on the team, DiRaimondo lived in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and was roommates with Grazier. In 2003, he was named as the Parade Magazine All-American and competed in the McDonald's All-American game. DiRaimondo received Student-Athlete of the Year in 2001 and completed high school being on the honor roll all four years.

College

DiRaimondo attended

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and one of the oldest ...

; in 2003 he scored four goals and got ten assists while being named second-team NSCAA All-Midwest Region, and was named to the Virginia Adidas Classic All-Tournament team. In 2004, he scored four goals and got three assists while being named first team All-Conference. In 2005, he scored a career high of nine goals and ten assists while being named first team All-Conference and All-Region. He also made it to the Hermann Trophy Watch list. In his last year of college, DiRaimondo scored five goals and got five assists while being named a

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

semifinalist.

ESPN the Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue, with the cover line "NEXT.," was published on March 11, 1998 (cover date March 23, 1998), and featured K ...

named him Academic All-American. During his college years he also played with

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

Professional

DiRaimondo was drafted by Major League Soccer's

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

on January 18, 2007, and was drafted by Minnesota Thunder of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

on January 24, 2007. He made his debut for the Rapids on March 29, 2008, and scored his first professional goal the following week against the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

. DiRaimondo was waived by the Rapids on March 25, 2009, and was signed to a developmental contract by

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

, on March 27, 2009. He was loaned to the

Harrisburg City Islanders Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...

of the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

in April 2009 and later to

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

in May 2009.Behind the Badge , D.C. United

International

He was selected for the United States U-17 national team after his freshman year and managed to score two goals for the Under-17 World Cup qualifier in Guatemala. In 2003, he competed for the U.S. Under-17 National Team at the

2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, was the tenth edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Championship. It was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti and Turku in Finland from 13 to 30 August 2003. Players born after 1 January 19 ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and in 2004 played with the U.S. Under-20 National Team in a tour of Korea.

Honors

Richmond Kickers

Champions (1):

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

References

External links

*
SLU bio

New talent puts hope to soccer team's horizon - Sports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diraimondo, John 1986 births Living people American men's soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players Colorado Rapids players D.C. United players Richmond Kickers players Penn FC players American people of Italian descent Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer players USL League Two players USL Second Division players Major League Soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players Colorado Rapids draft picks Soccer players from Missouri Men's association football midfielders