Meet Davis Paul

Meet Chicago Fire third round SuperDraft selection Davis Paul. The leading scorer for the University of California in 2010 and aspiring video producer, the Upland, CA product is probably better known for the work done on his iPhone last October.
If you haven’t seen this video, you’re missing out.

The idea was hatched out of boredom between the Fire third round draft pick and teammate Demitrius Omphroy (recently drafted by Toronto FC) during a five-hour road trip between Oregon State and the University of Washington in early October.
“I had my iPhone in hand and we always make dumb videos,” said Paul via Skype on Wednesday. “Next thing I know, we’re filming bits here and there and the song [Chris Brown’s “For Your Love”] was the first thing that popped on our our iPod. No one really knew what was going on and it wasn’t until we kinda showed them the video afterwards that it made sense to them.”
The video, which was supposed to be a joke/keepsake for the seniors in their final year, went viral soon after following a tweet from the famous recording artist.
“Next thing I know, Chris Brown tweets about it. We’re viral sensations and on the news. It was just a fun thing to remember the team by…I guess it’s a keepsake for whoever else wants to see it now.”
And before you ask, “Wouldn’t something like this serve as a distraction?” The answer is no, probably not. Cal went on to beat Washington 4-1 on October 10, with Paul tallying a goal and the game winning assist in Seattle.
Attention
The video garnered attention from Apple, who met with Paul about creating a campaign around college teams and their free time on the road. NCAA rules and regulations quashed that and Paul is obviously no longer a college athlete.
It has also garnered many response and copy cat videos in the interim, including one from the University of Michigan men’s soccer team to “Over” by Drake, aka Aubrey Graham, the wheelchair-bound basketball player from Degrassi: The Next Generation.
“Out at the combine I became good friends with Justin Meram,” said Paul. “He went to Michigan [and was ironically drafted by Columbus] and first thing he said was, ‘I apologize for making that video.’ We got at least seven  or eight different ones in the first month and a half from random schools, girls teams – I think we just got one from Harvard Track and Field, so people are all doing response videos. If you can’t tell our team is completely, 100 percent joking by everything we’re doing, then I think you’re missing the point. Michigan tried to go hard and I think that defeats the purpose of what we were trying to do. More power to them, at least they’re having fun doing it.”
As an alumnus of the University of Michigan, I watched back in November as the Wolverines navigated their way through the NCAA tournament, bantering with Sean Johnson after my school downed Central Florida and looked with anticipation at a potential Michigan-Cal College Cup clash where I could continue to talk with Calen Carr. Having seen both videos now, it could have been deemed as “The Battle of YouTube”.
Unfortunately for Paul and his Cal Bears, they fell in a shootout in quarterfinal stage to eventual champions Akron, eliminating that potential clash which Paul believes, “would have been huge for ESPN.”
Michigan of course fell 2-1 to Akron in the Final Four.
As a Player
Of course the Fire didn’t draft Paul for his creativity off the field, but rather what he can create on it.
A former U.S. international, Cal head coach Kevin Grimes spoke highly of what Pail brings to the field.
“Since he was a youth player, Davis has always had a great nose for goal and a knack for finishing. He combines those attributes with an extremely high level of cardiovascular fitness and work rate. Along with his pace and quickness, he’s got some attacking elements that could see him be a forward or an outside midfielder.”
Grimes is also complimentary of Paul’s character.
“Davis is a great person, really funny, creative and articulate. I think that comes out in his video and in his play. He’s one of those guys that brings personality to the team, to the locker room and also on the field. He takes a lot of his personal characteristics on the field and I think that’s what makes him such a great player.”
Though high on some of his own attributes, a common theme with Paul’s game seems to be the amount of effort he puts in over the course of 90 minutes.
“Kevin always said you can have an off day, but one thing you can control is how hard you’re working. I’ve always had work ethic on my side. I’m a little guy, so I like to think I’m quick and crafty. I’m a playmaker. Any time I get the ball at my feet, I think it’s going to be a strength for me.”

The Fire and Draft Day
“Going into the draft I didn’t know a whole lot about the Fire. I heard so many rumors going in about Portland’s and Seattle’s, second round this, third round that. It was kind of stressful and I didn’t want to get my hopes up for one team or another – I didn’t really know where I wanted to end up.”
Looking to avoid the stress of draft day, Paul took advantage of his SoCal surroundings and headed to an American fixture to stay above the fray.
“The day of the draft I was actually at Disney Land so I could have an easier day. Next thing I know, I was getting texts saying it was Chicago and I was happy that it was done. Calen called me the next day, we had a 30-minute convo and he gave me the whole run-down on what to expect. After that my worries were at ease. I can’t imagine a better fit for me to come and play.”
As far as having a fellow Cal Bear on the team, Paul is grateful.
“It helps out a ton to have Calen in Chicago. He comes back all the time and he’s been one of the most supportive Cal alums. He’s caught a lot of our games and I’ve trained with him a ton back in Berkeley so I was really excited at the possibility of playing with him. I don’t really have any stresses about leaving and coming out there. I think he actually booked me as his roommate for preseason.”
Expectations
As far as Paul’s selection, there is no doubt the Fire’s greatest need is for players that can create and finish. As far as attacking players go, the club selected Paul and Elmhurst, IL product Jason Herrick (Maryland) in last week’s MLS SuperDraft along with Amani Walker (UC-Irvine), Yannick Salmon (Rutgers) and Sam Arthur (South Carolina) in this week’s Supplemental Draft.
The Fire also signed attacking midfielder Daniel Paladini from the USSF Division 2 Carolina RailHawks earlier this month, underscoring the need for new blood in the attack.
So what expectations does Paul have as he prepares to start preseason training next week?
“I try not to worry about the things I can’t control. I don’t know how all the guys are going to play, I don’t know how the league is going to be, but I know that I can work right now on staying fit, keeping my touch sharp and come into preseason at 100 percent. If my touch is off, I want people to know that I’m going to be there to work hard no matter what. It’s really the only thing I can expect to do.”
Jeff Crandall is the Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.