Joseph Lapira

Joseph Lapira (born August 13, 1986, Rochester, New York) is a retired soccer player. Born in the United States, Lapira is a one time international for the Republic of Ireland national football team.[1]

Joe John Lapira
Personal information
Full name Joseph Lapira
Date of birth (1986-08-13) August 13, 1986
Place of birth Rochester, New York, United States
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
2000–2004 St. Louis Saints
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2007 University of Notre Dame
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003 Louisiana Outlaws 4 (1)
2004 Lafayette Swamp Cats 2 (0)
2007 Baton Rouge Capitals 7 (3)
2008–2009 Nybergsund 55 (16)
2011 United Sikkim FC 3 (2)
2011 Nybergsund 8 (1)
2013 Nybergsund 0 (0)
National team‡
2007 Republic of Ireland 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 December 2011
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2010

Early life

Lapira graduated from St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana.[2] After high school, he continued a family tradition and attended the University of Notre Dame.[3] He is of Maltese descent.[4]

Club career

In 2006, he was the winner of the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate player of the year,[5] after scoring 22 goals for Notre Dame.[6] During his college years, Lapira also played in the USL Premier Development League with Louisiana Outlaws, Lafayette Swamp Cats and Baton Rouge Capitals.

In April 2007, it was reported that Lapira would be joining Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen for a trial at some point in summer 2007,[7] although he eventually went on trial at Rangers instead.[8] Lapira broke down with a calf injury minutes into his first training session with the Ibrox club.[9] In January 2008, Lapira finally joined Aberdeen for a week-long trial after recovering from his calf injury.[10] He played for the reserve side in a 1-1 draw with Falkirk reserves but did not do enough to earn a contract with the Dons.[11]

Instead, Lapira was selected in the third round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC,[12] but never signed a contract with Major League Soccer.[4]

On April 1, 2008, Lapira signed with Norwegian Adeccoligaen side Nybergsund IL-Trysil,[13] who played in the second tier after being promoted from the third tier in 2007.[14] Lapira scored a brace in his Nybergsund debut, a 3-0 victory.[15]

In March 2011, Lapira signed for I-League 2nd Division side United Sikkim FC.[16]

In the summer of 2011, Lapira returned to Norway after signing again with Nybergsund IL-Trysil.[17]

Career statistics
Season Club Division League Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2008 Nybergsund-Trysil Adeccoligaen 29800298
2009 Adeccoligaen 26800268
2011 United Sikkim I-League 2nd Division 320032
2011 Nybergsund-Trysil Adeccoligaen 710071
Career total 6519006519

International career

Lapira is a full international for the Republic of Ireland. He qualifies for the Republic by virtue of his Irish mother,[14] and came to the attention of former Irish boss Steve Staunton through Lapira's uncle, who worked at the FAI.[5] He gained a cap for Ireland on May 23, 2007 against Ecuador,[18] becoming the first amateur player to play for Ireland since Willie Browne in 1964.[9]

Awards and honours
  • M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Winner (2006)
  • Soccer America National
  • Player of the Year (2006)
  • All-America First Team (2006)
  • All-BIG EAST First Team (2006)
  • BIG EAST Offensive
  • Player of the Year (2006)
  • All-BIG EAST Third Team (2005)
  • Participated in the 2019 Joe Lapira FIFA tournament, placing a respectable 21st out of 22 players (2019)

See also

References
  1. The curious case of Joe Lapira and his solitary Ireland cap Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Player of the Year". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  3. Joseph Lapira - Notre Dame Athletics
  4. Joseph Lapira - Another Player with Maltese Roots!
  5. https://und.com/joseph-lapira-wins-m-a-c-hermann-trophy/
  6. The Bayou's golden boy - Lapira harnesses Ragin' Cajun style to star at Notre Dame SI.com, December 27, 2006
  7. Dons talent search goes Stateside BBC Sport, April 17, 2007
  8. https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2007/0723/220674-lapiraj/
  9. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6912435.stm
  10. Dons give Lapira chance to shine BBC Sport, January 23, 2008
  11. Transfer round-up Scotsman.com, January 31, 2008
  12. Miller And Lapira Selected In Major League Soccer SuperDraft University of Notre Dame Athletic, January 19, 2008
  13. Joseph Lapira Signs...With Tiny Norwegian 2nd Division Club... Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  14. What Joe Lapira did next... Herald.ie, July 3, 2008
  15. What Joe Lapira did next...
  16. Baichung's side takes on Shillong outfit The Times of India, March 31, 2011
  17. J. Lapira - Soccerway
  18. Republic of Ireland 1-1 Ecuador BBC Sport, May 24, 2007
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