Paulo Pita (born June 3, 1994) is a former Brazilian

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 and current coach. He formerly played as a

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 ...

at the collegiate level for the

Charleston Golden Eagles The Charleston Golden Eagles, known previously as the Morris Harvey Golden Eagles, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Charleston, located in Charleston, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Golden E ...

and the

Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which are memb ...

Career

College & Senior

Pita played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

University of Charleston The University of Charleston (UC) is a private university with its main campus in Charleston, West Virginia. It also has a location in Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley. History The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Semin ...

in 2016 and 2017. 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. He transferred to

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

, where he played in 2018 and 2019. Concurrent with his college career, Pita played the 2016 and 2018 seasons with

The Villages SC Brave SC or Brave Sporting Club, (formerly The Villages SC) is an American soccer club from Summerfield, Florida that plays in USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional socc ...

of the

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 ...

, appearing in 20 games, along with a handful of other appearances. During the 2017 season, Pita played for

Chattanooga FC Chattanooga Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 2009, the team is in MLS Next Pro starting in 2024. Prior to joining MLS Next Pro, the club played in the National Indep ...

in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

. 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

. In 2020, Pita was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, in the MLS SuperDraft by

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...

but went unsigned with the club. He was then picked up by

North Carolina FC North Carolina FC is an American professional association football, soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Caro ...

where he went on to make one appearance with the club before retiring. He currently works as the head goalkeeping coach for Sporting Kansas City Academy.

References

1994 births Men's association football goalkeepers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian men's footballers Charleston Golden Eagles men's soccer players FC Wichita players Living people Marshall Thundering Herd men's soccer players Footballers from Santos, São Paulo The Villages SC players USL Championship players USL League Two players Los Angeles FC draft picks Soccer players from Oklahoma Sporting Kansas City non-playing staff Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen {{Brazil-footy-goalkeeper-stub