Russell Payne ( soccer ) Russell Payne ( born July 13 , 1975 in Columbia , Maryland ) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who is currently the head coach of the United States Military Academy men ' s soccer team . He played professionally in Germany , Ireland and Major League Soccer . Player . Youth . Payne graduated from Glenelg High School where he was a 1992 Second Team All - Met Boy ' s Soccer Goalkeeper . He then attended the University of Maryland where he was a four - year ( 1993 – 1996 ) on the men ' s soccer team . He was an All - ACC selection as a sophomore and led the Atlantic Coast Conference as a senior with a 0 . 88 goals - against average . He recorded 22 . 5 shut - outs and made 340 saves during his collegiate career . During that time , Maryland went to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances . Payne also helped Maryland to its first - ever ACC Tournament championship in 1996 . He graduated with a bachelor ' s degree in biology . Professional . In 1997 , Payne signed with the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers of the USISL A - League . Payne began as a backup to Tom Dutra but became the starter after Dutra was injured early in the season . That season , the Riverboat Gamblers won the Central Division , but fell in the second round of the playoffs . He then moved to Holland where he played during 1998 . In February 1999 , Payne was an undrafted invitee to the Chicago Fire training camp , but was released during the pre - season . He then signed with the Maryland Mania of the USL A - League . In April 1999 , he was called up to D . C . United of Major League Soccer when backup Mark Simpson was injured . He played on exhibition , but no regular season games before returning to the Mania the first week of July . On July 31 , 1999 , the Colorado Rapids signed Payne for the remainder of the season . He played fourteen minutes in one game . The Rapids waived him on February 24 , 2000 after acquiring several goalies in the draft and through trades . Payne then signed with the Boston Bulldogs of the USL A - League . During the 2000 season , he played at least one game with the Cape Cod Crusaders . He was called up to the MetroStars as a backup goalie for three games early in the season when Mike Ammann was injured . He also spent time with the New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy in July as a backup goalkeeper . In August 2000 , the MetroStars signed Payne on loan and he played one game for them , allowing two goals in eight minutes . On February 5 , 2001 , the MetroStars drafted Payne in the sixth round ( 70th overall ) in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft . This gave them the rights to Payne for the upcoming season . In March 2001 , the MetroStars released him during the preseason . He then moved to Derry City F . C . of the League of Ireland where he played eleven games at the end of the 2000 – 2001 season . During the 2001 – 2002 season , Payne was Derry City ' s Player of the Year . In 2002 , he moved to SV Elversberg of Germany where he played two seasons . In 2004 , he signed with Shamrock Rovers . Payne made his debut for The Hoops on September 11 , 2004 against Cork City and went on to make 16 appearances . His last game was against St Patricks Athletic on May 13 , 2005 where he had a nightmare game . Due to a team in decline he only kept one clean sheet in this time ironically against his old team Derry City . Coach . At the end of the 1997 USISL A - League season , Payne returned to the University of Maryland where he served as an assistant coach for the 1997 collegiate season . He then coached collegiately at George Washington in 1997 – 98 as the goalkeeper coach . Payne spent three seasons as the goalkeeper coach for the SV Elversberg U - 16 team . While playing for Derry City F . C . , he also served as the club ' s U - 18 goalkeeper coach . In 2005 , he left Ireland to become assistant coach with the Maryland Terrapins . In his first season back in College Park they won the National Championship for the first time since 1968 . In the summer of 2006 and 2008 , Payne served as an assistant coach for the U . S . U - 20 team that played in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland . In December 2009 , Payne became the head coach at West Point . Payne and his wife , model Vanessa Payne , live in West Point , N . Y . and have one child named Harper Elizabeth Payne born December 2009 .