Joseph Lapira
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| Joe Lapira | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Lapira | |
| Date of birth | August 13, 1986 | |
| Place of birth | Rochester, New York, United States | |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Nybergsund I.L. | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 2004 2005 |
Saint Louis Catholic High School University of Notre Dame |
|
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2003 2004 2007 2008- |
Louisiana Outlaws Lafayette Swamp Cats Baton Rouge Capitals Nybergsund I.L. |
4 (1) 2 (0) 7 (3) 5 (4) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2007- | Republic of Ireland | 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Joseph Lapira (born August 13, 1986, Rochester, New York) is an Irish-American soccer player who has been drafted to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.
Lapira graduated from St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, and attended University of Notre Dame. In 2006 he was the winner of the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate player of the year, after scoring 22 goals for Notre Dame [1]. During his college years, Lapira also played in the USL Premier Development League, with Louisiana Outlaws, Lafayette Swamp Cats and most recently Baton Rouge Capitals.
On April 17, 2007, an article on YanksAbroad.com reported that he would be joining Scottish side Aberdeen F.C. for a trial at some point during the 2007 summer. Lapira went on trial at Rangers in the summer of 2007, however, Lapira broke down with a calf injury minutes into his first training session with the Ibrox club and was subsequently sent home. January 2008, Lapira finally joined Aberdeen for a weeks trial after recovering from his calf injury and regaining match fitness. He played for the reserve side in a 1-1 draw with Falkirk reserves. Lapira did not do enough to earn a contract with the Dons.
Instead, Lapira was selected in the 3rd Round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC, but never signed a contract with Major League Soccer.
On April 1, 2008, Lapira signed with Norwegian Adeccoligaen side Nybergsund I.L., who play in the second tier after being promoted from the third tier in 2007. He signed after being rejected by numerous sides in Europe, forcing some pundits to question why he rejected a contract with Major League Soccer after the Superdraft to join a lower tier Norwegian team. Lapira scored a brace in his Nybergsund debut, a 3-0 victory.
[edit] International career
Lapira is a full international for the Republic of Ireland. He qualifies for the Republic by virtue of his Irish mother, and came to the attention of former Irish boss Steve Staunton through his uncle, Michael Lynam, who works for the FAI. He gained a cap for Ireland on May 23rd, 2007 against Ecuador, becoming the first amateur player to play for Ireland since Willie Browne in 1964.
[edit] 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)
