Sergei Raad
Encyclopedia
Sergei Raad is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n footballer who currently plays for FC JAX Destroyers
FC Jax Destroyers
FC JAX Destroyers are an American soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. The organization has men's and women's franchises in the United Soccer Leagues, both of which use the FC JAX Destroyers brand...

 in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...

.

Youth and College

Raad's birth name is Sergei Kolomeites. He moved to the United States in 1995 after his Russian club team came to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 to play in a tournament; he was sponsored by a local family and obtained a student visa so he could learn English, and eventually took on the surname of his adoptive family, Raad. He attended Oviedo High School
Oviedo High School
Oviedo High School is a grade 9-12 public secondary school set on a campus in Oviedo, Florida, a growing community situated in southeastern Seminole County operated by Seminole County Public Schools. The “Oviedo School” was established in 1932 as a comprehensive K-through-12 educational facility; ...

 and played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...

 at Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...

 from 2000 to 2004, where he appeared in 62 games, notching 20 goals and 29 assists.

Professional

Raad turned professional in 2004 when he joined the now-defunct A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....

 team, the Calgary Mustangs. With the Mustangs he played in 20 games, scoring 4 goals and contributing 2 assists, before being released at the end of the season when the team folded.

He spent the early months of 2005 training with Zenit St. Petersburg, but was not offered a contract by the Russian team, and instead returned to the United States, playing for Central Florida Kraze
Central Florida Kraze
Orlando City U-23 is an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference...

 in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...

.

He trained with Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 side New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...

 during the second half of 2005, and must have impressed some scouts, as he signed a developmental contract with the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...

 on April 1, 2006. He played in one MLS game during the season, before being waived at the end of the 2006 season.

During early 2007 Raad was training with the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (USL)
Seattle Sounders was an American professional soccer team founded in 1994 as a member of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, the team became a member of the USL First Division, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid, until 2008, after which the majority of the team's...

, but eventually returned home to play PDL soccer with the Central Florida Kraze
Central Florida Kraze
Orlando City U-23 is an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference...

 again in 2007. After a couple of years out of the game in 2008 and 2009 Raad embarked on a third stint with the Kraze in 2010; he scored his first ever goal for the team in their 2010 season opener, a 3-1 win over Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy.

In 2011, Raad signed with the new PDL expansion team, FC Jax Destroyers.

External links

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