Pablo Mastroeni

Pablo Mastroeni (born August 29, 1976) is a professional soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. Born in Argentina, he played for the United States national team.

He was formerly head coach of the Colorado Rapids, and assistant coach of the Houston Dynamo. In his playing career, he played as a defensive midfielder.

Mastroeni was born in Argentina and moved to the United States with his family at the age of four, settling in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Thunderbird High School and Mountain Sky Middle School, and played youth soccer for the Santos Futbol Clube. Mastroeni attended North Carolina State University where he played on the men's soccer team from 1994 to 1997. From 1995 to 1997, he spent the collegiate off season playing for the Tucson Amigos of the USISL.

In February 1998, the Miami Fusion selected Mastroeni in the second round (thirteenth overall) of the 1998 MLS College Draft. He played four seasons with the Fusion, becoming a regular starter in his second year with the team in either central defense or defensive midfield, and was named to the MLS Best XI in 2001.

The Fusion was contracted after the 2001 season and Mastroeni was the first overall choice of the 2002 MLS Allocation Draft, going to the Colorado Rapids, whom he captained to their first title in 2010. Mastroeni scored his first MLS playoff goal against the Columbus Crew on October 28, 2010.

Mastroeni was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy in June 2013 and retired at the end of the season.

In 2021, Mastroeni's #25 was retired by the Colorado Rapids. This was the first number retired by the Colorado Rapids.

Mastroeni earned his first U.S. cap against Ecuador on June 7, 2001. When Chris Armas went out with an injury just weeks prior to the 2002 World Cup, Mastroeni found himself a starter in the opening game as the U.S. defeated Portugal 3–2.