Leo Cullen (soccer)

Leo Cullen (born February 28, 1976 in Burnsville, Minnesota) is a retired American soccer defender who spent seven seasons in Major League Soccer and earned three caps with the United States men's national soccer team.

Leo Cullen
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-02-28) February 28, 1976
Place of birth Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1994–1997 Maryland Terrapins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Miami Fusion 93 (1)
2001–2003 New England Revolution 58 (2)
2005 Colorado Rapids 15 (0)
Total 166 (3)
National team
U.S. U-16
U.S. U-20
1999–2002 United States 3 (0)
Teams managed
2006–2009 Maryland Terrapins (assistant)
2010– Army Black Knights (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Player

Cullen played college soccer at the University of Maryland from 1994 to 1997. He was the 1997 ACC Player of the Year and a 1997 First-Team All-American.

Professional

On February 2, 1998, the Miami Fusion made Cullen the first draft pick in team history, taking him first overall in the 1998 MLS College Draft.[1] Cullen spent the next three and a half seasons in Miami (he left the team as the club's all-time leader in games and minutes). On August 15, 2001, the Fusion traded Cullen and a 2002 first-round draft pick to the New England Revolution in exchange for Johnny Torres, Shaker Asad and a 2003 second-round draft pick.[2] Cullen remained with the Revolution through the 2003 season. After taking 2004 off to pursue his college degree, Cullen came back to MLS in 2005, his rights traded to the Colorado Rapids. He retired from soccer after playing one season with the Rapids. Cullen played a few times with DC United reserves in 2006 as a defender in an emergency capacity.

International

Cullen earned three caps for the United States men's national soccer team, his first coming February 21, 1999 against Chile. He came on for Richie Williams in the 86th minute of a 2–1 victory. His second game was a 2–2 tie with Jamaica on September 8, 1999. Cullen played the entire game.[3] His last game was a 2–0 victory over El Salvador on November 17, 2002. In this game, Cullen came on for Pablo Mastroeni at halftime.[4]

Coach

At the MLS Superdraft, Maurice Edu (the first pick) announced that Cullen was his agent. On March 13, 2006, the University of Maryland hired Cullen as an assistant with the women's soccer team. On January 7, 2010, Cullen was named the men's assistant coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.[5] Cullen and new Army head coach, Russell Payne, were teammates at the University of Maryland.

References
  1. Fusion Drafts Maryland Defender
  2. Martins, Gus (2001-08-17). "Revs land Cullen to shore up defense". The Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  3. USA – Details of International Matches 1995–1999
  4. USA – Details of International Matches 2000–2002
  5. Leo Cullen Named Assistant Men's Soccer Coach , United States Military Academy, January 7, 2010.
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