Krumpe was born and grew up in Torrance, California and attended West High School there. He attended UCLA where he was a four-year starter on the school’s men’s NCAA soccer team. In 1985, Krumpe’s senior year, UCLA defeated American University 1–0 in 8 overtimes in the championship game. In that game, Krumpe was co-captain for UCLA and assisted on the winning goal. He graduated from UCLA in the spring of 1986 with a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Professional career
After graduation, Krumpe was drafted by the Chicago Sting of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He played two seasons with the Sting, then moved to the outdoor Los Angeles Heat of the Western Soccer Alliance for a summer season. After his one season with the Heat, Krumpe then moved to Real Santa Barbara of the American Professional Soccer League where he played a single season. In 1991, he again found himself with another team, the Colorado Foxes, also of the APSL.
National team
Krumpe was actively involved with the United States men's national soccer team during this period as well. He earned his first cap in 1986 in a game with Canada. Over the next five years, he would play 25 times for the senior national team and over 40 times for men's team – including games not considered full internationals. These included the 1987 Pan American Games, three games at the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea, and the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He ended his national team career in 1991, as he began it, with a game against Canada. The 1980s and early 1990s were a difficult time for American soccer players. With the demise of the North American Soccer League, they had few opportunities for playing outdoor soccer. Even the indoor leagues began struggling in the late 1980s. Several U.S. players moved overseas, but others, like Krumpe, found themselves moving from one financially struggling U.S. club to another. In 1991, having reached the highest levels of the game, at the 1990 World Cup, he decided to hang up his cleats and enter the coaching career field.
Coaching
In 1989, Krumpe had worked with the coaching staff of the Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team. That gave him a taste for coaching and when he retired from playing in 1991, he moved back to his high school, West Torrance, where he became its boys' soccer coach from 1991 to 1995. In his four years with the team, he took them to the playoffs four times. He didn’t confine himself to the high school level, but also worked as an assistant coach for El Camino College in 1994. Now he works at LMU as a head coach for men's varsity soccer. In 1995, UCLA hired Krumpe as an assistant coach. His time with the team culminated with another national championship for the Bruins in 1997. Loyola Marymount University hired Krumpe as its men’s soccer coach in 1998 where he continues today. In his time at LMU, he has led the team to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2019. Krumpe also runs the Paul Krumpe Soccer Academy and briefly worked as an aerospace engineer with McDonnell-Douglas after retiring from playing.
