Thursday, February 7th, 2019 -- Phoenix Rising FC have added another Arizona player to its roster for the upcoming 2019 season. This time it's Gilbert native and forward Illijah Paul, who will register as a United Soccer League Academy Player, maintaining his amateur status.
WATCH Ilijah Paul on the AZKicksIt Show
Paul was a member of the famed 02 Valparaiso United squad that ended a 15-year title drought for Arizona teams at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships (prior to Valparaiso, last team to win a national championships was the 03 Sereno Golden Eagles Girls). In the 2014 14U title match, Paul scored what would be the game-winning goal and assisted on another goal in a 2-0 victory. Most recently, Paul was competing for the U16/17 Real Salt Lake Development Academy team where he led the team with 10 goals in 16 appearances. Paul has also played locally for Legacy and Arizona Soccer Club.