Paul Grafer (born August 7, 1974) is an American retired

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 ...

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

who spent six seasons in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

with the

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 ...

and MetroStars. He was the goalkeeper coach for the

United States U-17 men's national soccer team The United States U-17 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team may compete is in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years. Competitive re ...

between 2007 and 2012. He has been a FIFA Instructor and assistant coach with Chivas USA of Major League Soccer. He has also been professionally affiliated with Athletes Helping Athletes and SAFE, organizations that provide lifeskills development and training to student athletes. Paul's current professional role is Technical Director for Major League Soccer.

Youth

Grafer graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1992 where he was a Parade All-American. He then attended

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institut ...

where he played soccer from 1993 to 1995. He was an All-American his senior year and gained his degree in kinesiology in 1997. In 2007, William and Mary inducted Grafer into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional

In February 1996, the

selected Grafer in the 2nd round (19th overall) of the

1996 MLS College Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at the ...

. The Rapids sent him on loan to the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Mit ...

of the

USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...

for the 1996 season. In 1997, made Rapids first team, playing thirteen games, gaining only one win, in 1997 and 1998. On September 30, 1998, he broke his left wrist in practice. The Rapids waived him on October 30, 1998. He signed with the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

on January 28, 1999, but suffered a major neck injury during the pre-season and lost the entire year. Instead, he spent the entire year coaching with the Williamsburg Soccer Club. In 2000, he signed with the

, having an excellent season. That resulted in him being called up to the MetroStars in 2000 after starter

Mike Ammann Mike Ammann (born February 8, 1971) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper in England and Major League Soccer. Youth Ammann was born in Orange, California. The younger brother of Bob Ammann, he played for th ...

was injured and backup

Tim Howard Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the part-owner of club Dagenham & Redbridge as well as an international ambassador in the United States for Premie ...

was playing in the Olympics. In one of the odder moments in MLS history, the league held a draft consisting of only one player, Paul Grafer, after he signed late with the league. The

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

selected Grafer, then traded him back to the MetroStars for

Ramiro Corrales Ramiro Corrales (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional soccer player. He spent most of his professional playing career with the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. Known as a "reliable contributor who sstrong in defen ...

on February 23, 2001. He retired following the 2003 season. In 2005, he returned with the RoughRiders. He played nineteen games and was named second team All League.

MetroStars folklore

Throughout his career with the MetroStars, he became known for his long, black pants, leading to the chant, "They’re long, they’re black, they’re halfway up his crack – they're Grafer's pants – they're Grafer's pants!"

Post playing career

He earned an MBA and taught at Adelphi University while working as a Program Coordinator for Athletes Helping Athletes, a New York-based non-profit that uses the power and appeal of sport to address social issues. In 2007, he became the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. U-17 national team.Four Assistant Coaches Set for U.S. U-17 MNT
He left USSF in 2012 and became a FIFA Instructor for their Goalkeeping Programme, while helping develop SAFE LLC., a financial literacy and career development company for college student-athletes. In 2014, he joined Chivas USA of Major League Soccer as an assistant coach. In 2015, he joined MLS' League Office in the Competition Department.

References

External links

MetroStars Player Profile

MLS Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grafer, Paul 1974 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players William & Mary Tribe men's soccer players Colorado Rapids players Men's association football goalkeepers Long Island Rough Riders players New York Red Bulls players USL Second Division players USISL Select League players Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players Colorado Rapids draft picks Charleston Battery players Chivas USA non-playing staff Sportspeople from Port Washington, New York Soccer players from Nassau County, New York 20th-century American sportsmen