Signed as a Free Agent on July 30, 1987.
On July 30, 1987, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Sidekicks. He was the 1990 MISL Goalkeeper of the Year. The MISL collapsed at the end of the 1991–1992 season and the Sidekicks moved to the Continental Indoor Soccer League. Papaleo was the 1993 CISL Goalkeeper of the Year.[5] Papaleo wore number 91. In 1989, he met Nick Veason an eleven-year-old soccer player dying of AIDS. He then changed his jersey number to 61. This was in honor of Veason's birthday of June 1st. Papaleo visited Veason every day during his last five weeks alive. He died on October 28, 1990. Papaleo, Billy Phillips and Sidekicks' equipment manager Chris Agnes were pallbearers at his funeral. In 1995, the Sidekicks traded Papaleo to the Pittsburgh Stingers, but he retired soon after.
College Days
Named to All-American Team his senior year at Syracuse, 1982.
Named Soccer America Goalkeeper of the Year, 1982
Played for the East team in the 1982 Senior Bowl
Named MVP of U.S. Olympic Sports Festival, 1981
Draft Notice (before he came to Dallas)
Papeleo was selected by the Pittsburgh Spirit with the First Round pick in the 1982 MISL Draft (11th overall)
Honor Roll
1987-88
MISL Defensive Player of the Week twice
Week of December 17, 1987
Week of January 18, 1988
1988-89
MISL Defensive Player of the Week
Week of January January 30, 1989
Week of April 8, 1989
MISL All-Star (all Sidekicks players given All-Star credit for this season)
Named Defensive Player of the Game on 12 occasions
1989-90
MISL Goalkeeper of the Year (Gold Glove)
2nd Team, all-MISL
Met Life/Sidekicks Defensive Player of the Month twice
January 1990
March 1990
MISL Defensive Player of the Week for week ending April 8, 1990.
1991-92
MISL Defensive Player of the Month twice
December, 1991
March 1992
Defensive Player of the Game
October 24, 1991 <view box score>
1993
CISL Goalkeeper of the Year (Gold Glove)
1st Team, all-CISL
1994
1st Team, all-CISL
Record Book
Papeleo holds the following Sidekicks records:
Regular Season
Career Saves (2363)
Saves in a Game (48, at La Raza de Monterrey on July 11, 1993)
Career Shots Faced (5570)
Shots Faced in a Season (1071 in 1991-92)
Shots Faced in a Game (60, November 2, 1990 vs Wichita)
Career Victories (104)
Consecutive Victories, both all-time and during a season (11 in 1993)
Career Goals Allowed By a Goalkeeper (823)
Playoffs
Career Best Winning Percentage (.625 10-6 record with Sidekicks)
Career Assists credited to a goalkeeper (2, tied with Hank Henry)
Lowest Goals Against Average, Season (2.88)
If You Can't Beat Them...
Papeleo signed with Dallas just over a month after being the losing Goalkeeper for Game 7 of the 1987 MISL Finals against the Sidekicks.
...Beat Them
Papeleo not only started the first game of the 1987-88 season at Tacoma, he also won the game, and assisted on the first Sidekicks goal of the season (his first point as a Sidekick).
Why The Number Kept Changing
Papeleo chose number #32 in 1988-89 by adding his youngest daughters birthday numbers (9/7/88) together. After adding his 3 children's birth-day-of-month together, and deciding to wear #40, he met a young cancer patient named Tara Brecheen. The 13 year old Duncanville girl loved soccer and was determined to keep playing even while suffering from cancer.
When he found out she was dying, Papeleo visited Tara at her Duncanville home every day for her last 5 weeks of life. Before the 1990-91 season began, he added Tara's birthday to his player number, (January 11), raising it to 51. He had a special replica of that uniform made for her, which she wore to the last Sidekicks match she went to.
Miss Brecheen died on October 28, 1990. Members of the Sidekicks, including Papaleo, Coach Billy Phillips, and equipment manager Chris Agnes served as pallbearers at her funeral on October 30, 1990.
Top 10
Papeleo finished in the Top 10 Goalkeepers in either the MISL or CISL during the following years:
Major Indoor Soccer League
1987-88 (4th, 3.62 GAA)
1988-89 (4th, 3.86 GAA)
1989-90 (1st, 3.34 GAA)
1990-91 (8th, 5.86 GAA)
1991-92 (2nd, 5.26 GAA)
Continental Indoor Soccer League
1993 (1st, 5.29 GAA)
1994 (2nd, 5.97 GAA)
Sidekicks Highlights
1987-88
Recorded his best Goals Against Average as a Goalkeeper of Record (meeting the minimum level of playing time to be recognized on the MISL's leader board) at 3.62 (Papeleo did have a 3.56 GAA as a backup Goalkeeper in Pittsburgh)
Shutout the San Diego Sockers 3-0 on December 12, 1987. This was the only time the Sockers franchise had been shut out indoors in San Diego's history.
Earned the Sidekicks only Playoff win, a 6-3 decision over the Cleveland Force in Game 2 (April 24, 1988)
1988-89
Recorded a personal 3 game winning streak
February 25, 1989 at Los Angeles
March 4 at Los Angeles
March 7 vs Wichita
1989-90
Earned win at Wichita on March 27, 1990 (his first ever win at the Kansas Coliseum during his then-8 year career)
15th Win of the season on April 8, 1990 vs St. Louis cinched the Western Division Championship. Papaleo recorded 17 saves on 30 shots during that match.
1990-91
Recorded win on Opening Day (October 20, 1990 vs San Diego)
Earned 100th Career win at St. Louis Storm on March 8, 1991
Played in 10,000th career minute during vs St. Louis on November 11, 1990
1991-92
Blocked 44 shots vs San Diego on October 24, 1991
Won 6 consecutive starts
February 22, 1992 vs Tacoma
February 29 vs Cleveland
March 6 vs San Diego
March 15 at St. Louis
March 21 vs St. Louis
March 25 vs Wichita
Recorded two separate 4 game winning streaks
First Streak
October 19, 1991 at Baltimore (Opening Day)
October 24 at San Diego
November 1 vs St. Louis
November 8 vs Cleveland
Second Streak
December 13 vs San Diego
December 26 at Wichita
December 27 vs Cleveland
December 29 vs Tacoma
1994
Opened the Season with 6 consecutive wins
June 11 vs San Diego
June 14 at Houston
June 15 vs Washington
June 18 vs La Raza de Monterrey
June 26 at Pittsburgh
July 2 vs Arizona
Recorded two seperate 4 game winning streaks
First Streak
July 16 vs Anaheim
July 23 vs Houston
July 27 at Detroit
August 10 at San Jose
Second Streak
August 14 vs Detroit
August 19 vs Sacramento
August 27 vs Pittsburgh
September 1 at Anaheim