Paolo Ceccarelli
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 12, 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Toronto, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Toronto Jets | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1987- | Dunfermline Athletic | ||
| 1989-1990 | Toronto Blizzard | ||
| 1991-1992 | North York Rockets | ||
| 1993 | Toronto Blizzard | 23 | (0) |
| 1993-1994 | Dundee | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | Berwick Rangers | 1 | (0) |
| 1994-2000 | Montreal Impact | 80 | (0) |
| 1996-1997 | Toronto Shooting Stars (indoor) | 6 | (0) |
| 1997-1999 | Montreal Impact (indoor) | 56 | (1) |
| 2000-2001 | Toronto Thunderhawks (indoor) | 27 | (0) |
| 2001-2002 | Harrisburg Heat (indoor) | 14 | (0) |
| 2002-2003 | Kansas City Comets (indoor) | 31 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1991-1992 | Canada U-23 | 10 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Paolo Ceccarelli is a retired Canadian soccer goalkeeper who was the 1996 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Club
Ceccaarelli played for the Toronto Jets during his youth. In September 1987, he signed with Dunfermline Athletic after the coaching staff noticed Ceccarelli when Dunfermline played an exhibition game against the Jets. By 1989, Ceccarelli was back in Canada, playing for the Toronto Blizzard in the Canadian Soccer League. In 1991, he moved to the North York Rockets. In twenty-six games, he earned a 1.05 goals against average which placed him top of the goalkeeper chart and earned him All Star recognition.[1] Ceccarelli was back with the Blizzard in 1993, this time playing in the American Professional Soccer League. In the fall of 1993, he became a backup goalkeeper with Dundee F.C. before moving to Berwick Rangers F.C. for one game.[2] In the spring of 1994, Ceccarelli moved to the Montreal Impact. In 1996, he was First Team All League and the APSL Goalkeeper of the Year.[3] In addition to playing outdoors with the Impact, Ceccarelli spent the 1996-1997 winter season with the Toronto Shooting Stars of the National Professional Soccer League. He was back with the Impact for the 1997 outdoor season, earning Second Team All League honors. Montreal entered the NPSL the next two winter seasons (1997-1999) and Ceccarelli remained with them for those competitions. In the summer of 1999, the Impact went on hiatus and Ceccarelli spent the summer coaching the Impact’s youth clubs. He then lost the entire 2000 outdoor season with a knee injury. He returned to playing that fall with the Toronto Thunderhawks of the NPSL. In July 2001, Ceccarelli returned to the Impact for one last outdoor game.[4] In 2001, Ceccarelli signed with the Harrisburg Heat of the second Major Indoor Soccer League.[5] In September 2002, the Heat traded Ceccarelli to the Kansas City Comets in exchange for Chris Damico.[6] Ceccarelli retired at the end of the season.
International
In 1991 and 1992, Ceccarelli played ten games with the Canada men's national under-23 soccer team in its unsuccessful Olympic qualification campaign.