Theodore Ku-DiPietro
Theodore "Ted” Ku-DiPietro is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids.
Early life
Ku-DiPietro was born on January 28, 2002, in Oakton, Virginia. He attended Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, where he was a standout soccer player. In 2018, as a sophomore, he was named first-team all-state. Ku-DiPietro is of Chinese descent through his mother, and Polish and German descent through his father. "DiPietro" is the last name of his adoptive Italian grandfather.
Club career
Ku-DiPietro played his first professional game with Loudoun United FC, on June 28, 2019, in a 2–1 win over Atlanta United 2. Ku-DiPietro scored his first-ever professional goal in his first season with Loudoun United FC, on September 25, 2019, in the 68th minute of the team's 4–1 win over the Swope Park Rangers. Ku-DiPietro also received his first-ever red card in the same match.
Ku-DiPietro signed his first professional contract with Loudoun on January 7, 2020.
D.C. United
After appearing three seasons with Loudoun, Ku-DiPietro became the 17th homegrown player to sign for D.C. United. In the opening match of the 2023 season, he scored his first goal for the club – the game-winning goal in a 3–2 comeback victory over Toronto. After coming on as a second-half substitute, Ku-DiPietro assisted on Christian Benteke's game-tying goal in the 90th minute before scoring himself. As a result, he was named to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday for week one.
International career
He was called up to the [United States men's national under-23 association football|soccer team|United States U-23 team] for the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, and scored his first international goal as the United States came from behind to beat Honduras 2–1.
Personal life
Ku-DiPietro was born into a family of nine children, and six have played soccer at least at the youth level. His older brother, Michael, played for the Marymount Saints men's soccer team before graduating with a Business Administration degree. His younger sister, Hope, signed a letter of intent to play with the George Washington Colonials women's soccer team in the Fall 2023 season.