Paul Rothrock (born January 9, 1999) is an American soccer player who plays for the Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.
Early life
Born and raised in Seattle, Rothrock spent most of his youth career with Seattle United, a partner club of the Seattle Sounders Academy, leading them to two Washington State Cup titles, two Far West Regional titles, and two appearances in the U.S. Youth Soccer national finals. In his U18 season, he joined the Sounders Academy, helping the squad to a third-place finish in the USSDA National Playoffs.
Rothrock attended Lakeside School in Seattle, where he was a two-time all-state player and tallied 43 career assists.
College career
On February 2, 2017, it was announced that Rothrock signed a letter of intent to play college soccer at the University of Notre Dame.
After the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, Rothrock transferred to Georgetown. He had his first assist for Georgetown on August 30, 2019, in a 3–1 victory against Syracuse. He scored his first goal in a 5–1 win against UCLA on September 9, 2019. After his senior season in 2020-21 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to turn professional.
Club career
He made his debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 on July 8 and scored his first goal in a 4–1 defeat to Real Monarchs.
During his 2019 season, Rothrock played with National Premier Soccer League side OSA Seattle FC, making 3 appearances.
He was drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC. On May 18, he signed with their second team, Toronto FC II of USL League One. He made his debut for TFCII on May 26 against FC Tucson. He scored his first goal on October 1 against North Carolina FC. On October 17, he scored a brace in a 2–1 victory against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. On May 4, 2022, he signed a short-term four-day loan with the first team, Toronto FC, ahead of their Major League Soccer match against the FC Cincinnati. He signed an additional four-day loan on May 7. He made his MLS debut on May 8, as a late game substitute. He signed another short-term loan on May 14.
In January 2023, he signed the Tacoma Defiance (who he previously played for in 2017 when they were known as Seattle Sounders 2) in MLS Next Pro. Through his first three games, he assisted four of the team's six goals. He scored his first goal on April 30 against LA Galaxy II. On April 26, 2023, he joined the first team, Seattle Sounders FC, on a short-term loan for their U.S. Open Cup match, scoring on his club debut. In May, he signed a second short-term loan with the club, where he again scored in another Open Cup match on May 10 against the LA Galaxy. He then made his league debut for the club on May 13, where he scored his first MLS goal in a 1–0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. He became the first Sounders player to score in each of his first three appearances, as well as the first player to score while on a short-term loan. In August 2023, he signed a first team contract with the club for the remainder of the 2023 season, with club options for 2024 and 2025. At the time of his signing, he had been leading Tacoma in goals and assists throughout the 2023 season.
International career
In 2017, he was called up to a national team camp for the United States U18 team, making one appearance for them.