Introduction
Fabrice "Fafà" Picault (born February 23, 1991) is an American soccer player who plays for FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga.
Early life
Picault was born to Haitian immigrants in New York City and holds passports from both the United States and Haiti. His grandfather played for the Haitian national team and his father played professional indoor soccer with the Philadelphia Fever in the MISL.
Club career
Picault started his career with the youth and reserve team of Italian club Cagliari, but later parted ways with the club after six years, for unknown reasons. He later attended the NASL player combine in 2012 and impressed scouts working for Tampa Bay Rowdies, and later signed a one-year deal with the club. Picault is known for his quickness and pace combined with his vision and technical abilities.
He made his professional debut in a 3–2 victory against Atlanta Silverbacks on May 20, 2012. After the end of the 2012 NASL Season was released by Tampa Bay Rowdies. He returned for a second spell in the NASL with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers ahead of the 2014 season.
In January 2015, he moved to Czech team Sparta Prague. He was released by Prague on June 17, 2015. He never made a league appearance for the club, but came on in the 84th minute in a Czech Cup match against Jablonec. During his stay with Sparta he played mostly with the U21 side.
In September 2015, Picault signed a one-year contract with FC St. Pauli with the option of a one-year extension. He was St. Pauli's last signing during the 2015–16 summer transfer window. In April 2016, his contract was extended until June 2018.
International career
On September 9, 2014, Picault, along with Fort Lauderdale Strikers teammate James Marcelin, was called up to the Haiti national team to face Chile in an international friendly at Lockhart Stadium. He did not make an appearance.
Picault was called up to the United States senior team for a May 2016 friendly against Puerto Rico and made his debut in second half of that game.
The US national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, described Picault as a “hungry goal scorer” and praised his instincts and ability to read the game.