Marco Pappa

Hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Citizenship: Guatemalan
Birth date: November 15, 1987
Acquired: Joined from Seattle Sounders FC, in exchange for general allocation, on December 15, 2015

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

2016

• Pappa made a habit of producing his best from the bench in 2016, highlighted by the game-winning goals scored against LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire.
• His 95th minute winner against the Galaxy gifted the Rapids their first win of the season in their home opener on March 12.
• Having come in as a sub in the first two games of the season, Pappa then started the next five games, during which spell he tallied three assists.
• A knee injury put a halt to Pappa's playing time toward the end of April, after which he found playing time tricky as the team enjoyed their best regular season in franchise history.
• The Guatemala international managed to start just two of the last 15 games.
• But he came good when it mattered, stepping off the bench to play a key role in leg two of the Western Conference Semifinal. He scored the Rapids' third penalty in a 3-1 shootout win over LA Galaxy (11/6).

2015

• Pappa played in 20 matches for Seattle Sounders FC, starting 17, scoring three goals while registering three assists.
• It was his lowest return in terms of games played, games started and minutes played (1468) from six full seasons in MLS.
• His first goal of the season was the winning goal in a 1-0 home victory over Colorado Rapids (May 27).
• Pappa would double his tally for the season in the very next game, with the opening goal in a 2-1 home win over New York Red Bulls (May 31).
• He would record his second game-winning goal of the season in the final match of 2015, netting in a 3-1 home win over Real Salt Lake (October 25).
• Two of his six assists in 2015 came in the 3-1 victory at New York City FC (May 3).
• On the international front, Pappa was a part of the Guatemala squad which featured at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He played in two of the three group games, starting both. Guatemala finished bottom of Group C and failed to qualify for the knockout rounds.

2014

• Pappa made 29 appearances during the regular season, including 24 starts.
• He recorded six goals and five assists, which ranked fifth-most and tied-fifth-most, respectively, for the club.
• Pappa made his club debut in the season opener versus Sporting Kansas City (March 8).
• Against Real Salt Lake (May 31), Pappa scored his first Sounders FC goal and recorded his first assist.
• In a substitute role, he tallied two goals in the final five minutes to secure the Supporters’ Shield in a 2-0 win versus LA Galaxy (October 25).
• During four postseason appearances, Pappa recorded one assist in the First Leg of the Western Conference Semifinals.
• After his 2014 campaign, Pappa earned the Premios Univision Deportes’ MLS Player of the Year Award and FutbolMLS.com’s 2014 Latino del Año award.
• He was named to the MLS Team of the Week in Week 18 and Week 33. In Week 33, he was also named the MLS Player of the Week.

2012-13

• Pappa played in 11 matches in his only season with SC Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie. He made one start and recorded two assists.
• He appeared in eight matches for the club’s reserve squad in the Beloften Divisie A, scoring one goal and starting seven matches.

2012

• Pappa started 20 of 22 matches, logging 1,615 minutes in his final season with Chicago Fire.
• He scored six goals with five assists. Pappa scored in back-to-back games twice: versus Seattle (April 28) and at Chivas USA (May 4) as well as Columbus (June 23) and at Kansas City (June 29).
• He tied a career-high with three game-winning goals and set career-high with two game-winning assists.

2011

• Pappa appeared in 29 matches, starting 27, at the Fire.
• He finished second behind Dominic Oduro and set a career-high with eight goals, adding two assists.
• Pappa scored his first career hat trick against Real Salt Lake (September 28), becoming the fifth player in Chicago history to record a hat trick.
• In addition, he appeared in four U.S. Open Cup matches, logging 366 minutes in the team’s run to the 2011 final.
• He started two international friendlies against Manchester United (July 23) and Chivas de Guadalajara (September 14).

2010

• Pappa appeared in 25 matches, winning the team’s Golden Boot award with seven goals and finishing second on the team with five assists.
• He won the 2010 MLS Goal of the Year award for his one-time half volley in a 2-1 loss versus San Jose on April 10.
• Was voted a starter and made his first career MLS All-Star appearance as the team fell, 5-2, to Manchester United in Houston.
• Pappa scored a brace in a 2-2 draw versus Colorado (June 9). He recorded three game-winning goals: 2-0 win at DC (April 17), 2-1 win versus Philadelphia (June 5) and 1-0 win at NE (June 27).
• He appeared in all three matches in the Superliga, providing the game-winning assist in the 1-0 win versus Pumas UNAM (July 20).
• Played the full 120 minutes during the scoreless draw versus Charleston Battery in the U.S. Open Cup.
• In addition, Pappa appeared in all three friendlies, starting in 1-0 losses to Paris Saint Germain (May19) and A.C. Milan (May 30).

2009

• Pappa started 28 of his 30 appearances in his first full season with the Fire, recording five goals and four assists on the season.
• He appeared in five Superliga games as the Fire progressed to the final of the international tournament, plus another 23 minutes in the friendly against Club America (April 29).

2007-2008

• Pappa played in six matches, starting in three after joining the Fire on loan from CSD Municipal (July 30). With Chicago, Pappa appeared in seven total matches.

2005-2006

• Pappa joined Guatemalan side CSD Municipal in 2004 at the age of 16, and made his professional debut in a domestic league match in August 2006 against Guatemalan club Deportivo Pepata.
• His first professional goal came against the Nicaraguan club Real Madriz during the 2006 UNCAF tournament.

INTERNATIONAL

• Pappa has 51 caps and 11 goals for Guatemala.
• He has three goals in 15 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, including one goal against the United States in 2012.
• In the 2014 Copa Centroamericana, he earned the Golden Boot and earned the Golden Ball for best player after scoring four goals and leading Guatemala to a second-place finish. He helped Guatemala finish with a perfect 6-0-0 record and move to the 2014 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying semifinals.
• Overall, Pappa appeared in nine 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
• He also represented Guatemala at the U17, U20, U21 and U23 levels. Pappa was on the roster for the U23 team in the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, just missing a trip Beijing by finishing third in the tournament.

PERSONAL

• Pappa and his wife, Maricela, have one daughter, Paula. He has two older brothers and one younger sister.
• His father, Vinicio Pappa, coaches karate in Guatemala.
• He enjoys going to the movies and spending time with his family.
• Pappa qualifies as a Domestic player due to his Green Card status.