Bryan Gaul of St. Louis FC made his professional soccer debut with Los Angeles in May 2012. A few months later, he was part of a star-studded Galaxy squad that defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 for the 2012 MLS Cup.
“I kidded my parents that I might as well retire and go out as a champion,’’ said Gaul, who will play a key role for St. Louis FC (1-1) as it opens its home schedule Saturday against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1-1) in a 7:30 p.m. start at St. Louis Soccer Park in Fenton. “It was fantastic. Playing with guys you dream about playing with, guys like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Omar Gonzalez, I learned a lot that first year and ended up with a championship as well. It was just an incredible experience.’’
Gaul, 25, played in 14 games and made seven starts with the Galaxy that season. In 2013, he played on loan with both the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League.
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“It’s tough to make it in MLS and it’s even tougher to stay there, especially in LA because they’re constantly bringing in top players from all over the world,’’ he said. “I left LA and went to Toronto and the first day I was there, I tore my MCL and meniscus, which put me out for 5½, 6 months. Then all the coaches in Toronto got fired. Let’s just say it was a rough year.’’
But Gaul’s comeback season here in the United Soccer League is off to a strong start. He had a goal and an assist as St. Louis FC defeated the host Tulsa Roughnecks 2-0 last week for the first win in franchise history.
“I don’t think any of us felt very good about the first game (a 2-0 loss in Louisville); we just didn’t play anywhere near to our abilities, so coming back strong in Tulsa was huge for us,’’ Gaul said. “And now that we have that first win under our belts, I think we’re all pretty excited about opening the home schedule and hopefully putting on a good show for our fans.’’
Gaul grew up in suburban Chicago and was coached by St. Louis FC general manager Jeremy Alumbaugh as an Under-12 player with the Chicago Magic.
“Jeremy’s a big reason I’m here,’’ Gaul said. “There’s a comfort level, a trust, that I feel here. I know they’re looking to build something special here and I’m excited to be a part of it. My goal is to eventually get back to MLS or maybe Europe, but right now, my focus is on helping this team hopefully win a USL championship.’’
Gaul starred at Bradley University, where he finished fifth in career points (75), fourth in goals (31) and second in game-winning goals (15). He was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference first-teamer who led the Braves to the league tournament title in 2010 and to back-to-back NCAA trips (2010, 2011) for the first time in school history.
He was selected by Los Angeles in the first round (19th overall) of the 2012 MLS supplemental draft as a defender and saw most of his action with the Galaxy in the backfield.
“At the MLS combine, a central defender on my team got hurt and I filled in for something like 10 minutes. And I end up getting drafted as a centerback,’’ Gaul explained. “At that level, you play wherever you can get on the field. I’m willing to play wherever I’m needed, but I’m an attacking player at heart and I’m excited about getting that chance here.’’
St. Louis FC coach Dale Schilly likes what Gaul brings to the club.
“You just don’t find a lot of attacking players who have his sort of mobility, his touch and his size. It’s certainly an asset for us,’’ the coach said. “We knew of Bryan from Bradley and the Galaxy, knew he was a good player coming off knee surgery. We were on the lookout for guys who were flying under the radar a little bit and we feel like we’ve got a very good one in Bryan.’’
HOME OPENER SOLD OUT
A sellout crowd of better than 5,100 is expected for Saturday’s home opener at the new-look Soccer Park.
“It’s definitely a sprint to the finish,’’ Alumbaugh said. “We still have a few things to finalize — the Biergarten was put in Wednesday — but there’s a buzz around St. Louis FC right now and we’re excited to get things going.’’
In addition to the Biergarten, the main field at the Soccer Park has new lighting and chair backs were added to the VIP seating area. And the locker rooms have been renovated.
Schilly said he and his staff have some tough decisions to make.
“The guys have really been working hard in training, trying to earn spots in the group of 18 who’ll get to represent on Saturday,’’ the coach said. “That’s the toughest part of this job, sorting out the levels of the players and deciding who’s going to most effective for you on the weekend.’’