Fafa Picault

BIOGRAPHY

Fabrice-Jean Picault was born February 23, 1991 in New York, New York, United States. He is a winger in Major League Soccer.

Picault was born to Haitian immigrants in New York City. Picault comes from a multigenerational soccer lineage. His grandfather played for the Haiti national team, while his father Leslie played professional indoor soccer with the Philadelphia Fever in the MISL. He grew up in the Upper West Side, near Riverbank State Park along the Hudson River, where he played his first game. At the age of nine, his parents moved with him to Miami for a change of life. When he was sixteen, he moved to Italy to begin his youth career, where he learned Italian and connected with the culture.

Picault started his career with the youth and reserve team of Italian club Cagliari, but later parted ways with the club after five years. He has commented on being subjected to frequent racism during his time in Sardinia. He later attended the NASL player combine in 2012 and impressed scouts working for Tampa Bay Rowdies, and later signed a one-year deal with the club. Picault is known for his quickness and pace combined with his vision and technical abilities. Prior to starting his career with the Rowdies, Picault suffered a broken foot bone causing him to be sidelined through the preseason and first month and a half of the regular season. He made his professional debut in a 3–2 victory against Atlanta Silverbacks on May 19, 2012. Making 18 appearances in league play, Picault helped the Rowdies win Soccer Bowl 2012, but would register no goals. After the end of the 2012 NASL Season, the Rowdies declined the contract option for Picault. He returned for a second spell in the NASL with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers ahead of the 2014 season, before moving to Czech team Sparta Prague in January of 2015. In September 2015, Picault signed a one-year contract with German 2 Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli with the option of a one-year extension. 

On February 2, 2017, Picault returned to the United States and signed with MLS side, Philadelphia Union. He made his MLS debut as a substitute in the Union's home opener against Toronto FC. In May, Picault scored his first goal for the Union in a dominant 4–0 performance against D.C. United. In Philadelphia's next game, Picault scored again in a 2–0 win over the Houston Dynamo. On October 22, in the final game of the regular season, he scored twice and had an assist as the Union defeated Orlando City 6–1, a performance that earned him a spot in the MLS Team of the Week. Picault ended the regular season with seven goals and three assists from 28 appearances, along with two appearances in U.S. Open Cup play. 

On November 26, 2019, Picault was traded to FC Dallas in exchange for $300,000 of 2020 General Allocation Money. He made his Dallas debut on February 29 in a 2–0 win over the Philadelphia Union. On August 29, Picault scored his first goal for Dallas in a 3–2 win against Minnesota United. Two days later he was named to the MLS Team of the Week. On October 31, Picault scored twice and picked up an assist to give Dallas a 3–0 win over the Houston Dynamo, a performance that saw him named to the Team of the Week for the second time of the season. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Picault played in 18 of a possible 23 regular season games while scoring three goals and adding two assists. He helped Dallas finish 5th in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs. Picault started both of Dallas's playoff games as they reached the Conference Semifinals.

On December 17, 2020, Picault was traded to the Houston Dynamo, Dallas's Texas Derby rivals, in exchange for $275,000 of General Allocation Money, plus a potential $50,000 GAM in additional performance incentives. He made his Dynamo debut on April 16, starting in a 2–1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes to open the season. On May 8, Picault scored his first goal for Houston in a 1–1 draw against his former club, FC Dallas. He scored two goals on September 11 in a 3–0 win against Austin FC. His performance against Austin saw him named to the MLS Team of the Week. Picault ended the season with 31 appearances, 11 goals, and five assists. He was named Dynamo MVP and Dynamo Players' Player of the Year.

Picault joined Nashville SC for the 2023 season.