Paulo Pita, the Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil native and former Marshall University men’s soccer goalie, was drafted in the first round of the 2020 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday, Jan. 9.

Pita will call Los Angeles, California, his new home as the Los Angeles Football Club selected him as the No. 24 overall pick.

Since playing collegiate soccer in the United States, Pita has helped the University of Charleston Golden Eagles to a 2017 NCAA Division II National Championship.

After capturing the national title, he transferred to Marshall University and helped lead the Herd to its first ever Conference USA Regular Season and conference championship, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Pita and the Herd defeated WVU in the second round of the tournament and wrapped up the historical season in the Sweet 16.

In his final season with the Herd, Pita received the Co-Golden Glove Award and Second Team All-Conference.

Last season, LAFC finished its season with a 21-4-9 overall record and captured the regular season Western Conference title and was awarded the Supporters Shield in 2019.

Taylor Huddleston can be contacted at [email protected].