Pablo Mastroeni has established himself as one of the squad’s most renowned and respected players both on and off the field, and both at a national and international level. Mastroeni was named the Rapids team captain on Sept. 23, 2004 and has lived up to that responsibility ever since. Equally talented as both a central defender and holding midfielder, Mastroeni has the ability to single-handedly break up an opposition’s attack with his pace and strength in tackle. He is also one of the league’s best at starting an attack after winning the ball thanks to his incredible work rate. He is undoubtedly one of the Rapids’ most vocal leaders both on and off the field.

 

MLS CAREER
2009: Started in 25 games, playing 2,162 minutes and scored 1 goal and registered 3 assists…Missed games at Toronto (9/12) and at San Jose (9/18) due to Disciplinary Committee decision…Missed game vs. Toronto FC (9/5) due to Caution Accumulation…Scored his first goal in over four years vs. Chivas USA (8/8). His goal came just 26 seconds into the match marking the sixth fastest goal scored in MLS history and the second fastest in Colorado history…Registered his third assist of the season vs. New York (7/25)…Recorded his first assist in almost two years at Columbus (4/11)...2008: Mastroeni was named to his ninth overall and ninth consecutive MLS All-Star team in 2008, which was tops among the 18 players on the roster and tied for second-most in MLS history…He played 25 matches with 23 starts (both highs while with Colorado) and again served as team captain…Was named Rapids’ MVP following the season and on Nov. 11, he re-signed with the club to a multi-year contract ensuring his playing career will finish in Colorado…2007: Pablo led the club again this year as the Team Captain, had more appearances for the Rapids this season than in any other, starting 21 of the 23 games he appeared in while playing 1,865 minutes and adding one assist on the season…2006: Made his 2006 debut starting and playing 86 minutes on April 2 at Houston; Was named to the U.S. National Team for 2006 World Cup and returned to play for Colorado on July 4; Was named to the MLS All-star team on July 17 2006 Playoff Highlights: Played 90 minutes in WCSS Game 1; Played 120 minutes and scored a goal in the penalty shootout in WCSS Game 2; Played in 90 minutes of Conference Final…2005: Made his season debut starting and playing 45 minutes at Kansas City on April 2…Scored his first Colorado Rapids goal and received his first caution vs. Columbus on April 23…Was shown his second yellow card at Columbus on June 11…Was shown his first red card vs. Los Angeles on June 15…Received his third caution vs. Dallas on June 25…2005 MLS Cup Playoffs: Played all 300 minutes in Colorado’s run to the Western Conference Final…Scored Rapids first PK in shootout vs. Dallas in Conference Semifinals…2004: Made his 2004 debut by starting and playing all 90 minutes in the 1-0 home win over San Jose on April 24…Missed the Rapids’ 3-1 loss in San Jose with a quad injury that he suffered in training the day before the game…Returned from a quad injury and then played the opening 74 minutes as the Rapids’ captain in their 0-0 draw in San Jose on August 28…Was named the Rapids team captain on Sept. 23 after John Spencer relinquished the captain’s armband…2003: Started all 18 games that he appeared in for the Rapids…Missed a number of games while on National Team duty at the FIFA Confederations Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup…Tallied two points on two assists, one of which came against Kansas City while the other came in the regular season finale against Chicago…2002: Acquired by Colorado with the first pick in the MLS Allocation Draft and quickly established himself in the heart of the Rapids’ defense…His strong play early in the season caught the eye of Bruce Arena and earned Mastroeni a spot on the U.S. National Team for the World Cup in Japan/Korea, causing him to miss two months of MLS action…Tallied his first point as a member of the Rapids with an assist in a 3-1 loss to L.A. on July 13…Started all five games for the Rapids as they reached the MLS Semifinals…2001: In his final season with Miami, Mastroeni set a career high with six points and scored the first two goals of his MLS career…Scored the first goal of his career on May 19 against Tampa Bay and then doubled his career tally two weeks later with a goal against Dallas on June 2…Was named as the Fusion’s ADT Defender of the Year for the third straight season and was part of the Pepsi Best XI for the first time in his career…Was sent off in Game Two of the Fusion’s quarterfinal series against Kansas City…Played in four of Miami’s six postseason matches…2000: Set career highs in games and minutes played and was shown the first two red cards of his MLS career…Played in and started 29 games for the Fusion, playing 2,661 minutes…Scored a career low one point, tallying just one assist on May 27 against Columbus…Was also sent off in that game, as well as against Los Angeles on July 8…1999: Continued his strong play for the Fusion, starting in all 23 games that he appeared in…Notched three assists and eight yellow cards…1998: Selected by Miami in the second round (13th overall) of the College Draft, Mastroeni immediately worked his way into the Fusion lineup, appearing in 23 games with 19 starts…Tallied a career best four assists on the season…Played every minute of every game at right back after head coach Ivo Wortmann took over in July…Started and played all 90 minutes in each of Miami’s two playoff games.

 

NATIONAL TEAM
The Rapids’ Team Captain has compiled 65 caps with the US Men’s National Team through 2009…Earned his first cap for the United States National Team in a friendly against Ecuador on June 7, 2001 and was called into Bruce Arena’s World Cup squad for Japan/Korea 2002 despite having never appeared in a qualifier…Started in three of the United States’ five matches as the Americans reached the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time since 1930…Has been a mainstay in the U.S. side ever since and played at the Confederations Cup in June and helped the Red, White and Blue to a third place finish at the Gold Cup in 2003 and first place finish in 2005…Was named to his second consecutive US World Cup squad on May 2, 2006, and is the only Rapids player and Colorado resident to be on the 23-man squad…Named to the 2007 US Gold Cup squad who won the championship…Also named to 2007 Gold Cup Best XI, while collecting his third confederation championship medal…Captained the U.S. to a 2-0 victory against Mexico in his hometown of Phoenix…Also appeared in friendlies against Sweden and Brazil…Made five appearances, including three starts for World Cup qualifying games, in 2008…Help led the U.S. to a 2-0 win over Guatemala in the first-ever World Cup qualifier in Colorado on November 19...In 2009, played for U.S. National Team for World Cup Qualifier matches against Costa Rica (6/3), Honduras (6/6) and Trinidad & Tobago (4/1).

 

COLLEGE
Played 16 games for North Carolina State in 1997, recording three goals and eight assists…Was first team All-ACC and All-Region as a senior for the Wolfpack…Was named second team All-ACC in 1996, starting all 15 of the matches he played…Was the school’s co-MVP in 1995.

 

PERSONAL
Took home the Rapids 2008 and 2007 Most Valuable Player Award for his leadership on the pitch, his passion on the field, and for being the heart and soul of the Rapids squad…Made national headlines when he posed along with other MLS players in a photo shoot in early 2006 for “Maxim” magazine…Was awarded the Rapids’ 2004 “Black & Blue Player of the Year Award”, presented annually to the player who most exemplifies the true spirit of the franchise and gives his all on the field every game…Born in Argentina of Italian heritage, he became a United States citizen in 2001…Moved to the U.S. at the age of four…Son of Elci and Frank Mastroeni, has one brother, Diego…Proposed to wife, Kelly Long, during a halftime television interview of the Fusion’s match Sept. 5, 2000 at the MetroStars…Favorite soccer player when young was Diego Maradona and is now Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo…Most memorable soccer moment was getting his first start with the Fusion on May 2, 1998 in a home win over Colorado…Most prized nonsoccer accomplishment was earning his degree in sports communications from North Carolina State…An accomplished musician plays the guitar and composes music…Enjoys spending time in his vegetable garden with his two pugs, Zen and Reilly….Has worked with the “Make a Wish Foundation”...A passion for cooking, he once appeared as a special guest on the Food Network’s “Emeril Live” show…Had a two-page feature in the October 2009 issue of Men’s Fitness...Has a son, Gianluca and a daughter Giuliana.

 

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