MIDFIELDER ROSS PAULE BECOMES FIRST RAPIDS PLAYER TO BE NAMED MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYER OF THE MONTH

DENVER (Thursday, July 2, 1998) - Colorado Rapids midfielder Ross Paule was named Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for June, 1998. The honor for the 22-year-old marks the first time a Colorado Rapids player has ever been named MLS Player of the Month.

The Rapids midfielder found a torrid scoring touch as the Rapids heated up in June. Paule scored in each of the Rapids' three contests in June, running his goal total to six on the season, this after only scoring twice during all of the 1997 regular season. In addition, Paule warmed up for June by scoring two goals, barely more than one minute apart, on May 31 in a 2-1 win over Kansas City. Paule now takes his four-game goal-scoring streak (five goals over the four games) into July, where he can equal Jean Harbor's Rapids record of five straight games with a goal.

Playing the central midfield role, Paule's efficiency has helped the Creighton graduate more than make up for the loss of Marquinho. Despite scoring three goals in three games, Paule did not take a single shot in June that did not hit the target, putting all five of his shots over the three games on goal.

Scoring aside, his development into a playmaker and willingness to defend have made him one of the surprises of the 1998 season, and one of the most promising young players in Major League Soccer, according to Rapids coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick.

"Ross is impressing me with his maturity right now. The goals he has scored have been chances that many players would have tried to blast into the net, but Ross is very composed and is just placing the ball into the net. The most important thing with Ross is that whatever he does for us now, his best soccer is still ahead of him," said Myernick.

GP	G	A	PTS.	SHT	SOG
3	3	0	6	5	5