Paul Arriola’s Family: Wife, Children, Parents and Siblings

Last Updated on September 21, 2026 by Wilson

Paul Arriola is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder and winger for Seattle Sounders FC. Born on February 5, 1995, in Chula Vista, California, Arriola has enjoyed a long career that has included Club Tijuana, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders and the United States national team.

Family has remained an important part of Arriola’s life through the highs and difficult periods of his career. He is married to Akela Banuelos Arriola, and the couple now have two daughters. His parents are Dawn Arriola and the late Art Arriola, while his only publicly confirmed sibling is his younger brother, Artie. Arriola has also spoken openly about how becoming a husband and father changed his perspective on professional soccer.

Who Is Paul Arriola’s Wife?

Paul Arriola’s wife is Akela Banuelos. The couple dated for several years before becoming engaged in February 2022 and eventually marrying on January 6, 2023.

People reported that Paul and Akela originally met through Instagram direct messages. Their relationship developed quickly, and by the time they married they had already built a life together around Arriola’s demanding professional soccer career.

Their wedding was held at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 150 relatives and friends attended the celebration.

Arriola described marrying Akela as one of the most meaningful moments of his life. Their wedding also included their two pugs, Penelope and Nugget, who participated in the ceremony.

Who Is Akela Banuelos?

Akela Banuelos is an entrepreneur who has been described by People as a clothing brand owner. Although her husband has spent years in the public spotlight through professional soccer and the United States national team, Akela maintains a more lifestyle-focused public presence.

She has supported Paul through several major transitions in his career, including his years with FC Dallas, the couple becoming parents and their subsequent move to the Seattle area after Arriola joined the Sounders.

Her support became particularly important after Paul suffered a serious knee injury during his first season in Seattle in 2025. The lengthy rehabilitation coincided with Akela being pregnant with their second child.

Paul Arriola and Akela Banuelos’s Wedding

Paul and Akela were married on January 6, 2023, at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. The wedding included several personal touches reflecting their relationship and family.

One particularly emotional element honored Paul’s late father. Akela arranged for a sign to be placed on a front-row seat in remembrance of him. Paul later explained that the gesture meant a great deal because he deeply wished his father could have been present.

Paul’s grandmother, Janice, was also involved in the celebration and gave a blessing before dinner.

The ceremony therefore brought together several generations of Arriola’s family while also marking the beginning of Paul and Akela’s married life.

Paul Arriola’s Children

Paul Arriola and his wife Akela are parents to two daughters. FC Dallas officially documented the birth of their first daughter, Sevyn Helen, while Seattle Sounders has since confirmed that Arriola and his wife have two children.

Sevyn Helen Arriola

Paul and Akela’s first daughter is Sevyn Helen Arriola. According to FC Dallas, Sevyn was born on December 28, 2023.

Her arrival came during Paul’s time with FC Dallas and represented a major change in his personal life. Arriola went from balancing professional soccer with marriage to also learning the responsibilities of fatherhood.

Sevyn later became an especially important part of Paul’s life during his rehabilitation from his 2025 ACL injury. Seattle Sounders reported that because he was no longer traveling constantly for matches, Arriola was able to be home regularly and put his daughter to sleep every night.

He viewed those moments as an unexpected positive during what was otherwise a difficult period professionally.

Paul Arriola’s Second Daughter

Paul and Akela welcomed their second daughter in September 2025.

Seattle Sounders had previously reported that Akela was pregnant with their second child while Paul was rehabilitating his knee injury. The club later featured Arriola at home with his wife and two children as part of its Behind the Shield series.

The Spokesman-Review subsequently confirmed that their second daughter was born in September 2025.

Her name has not been clearly published by the strongest authoritative sports sources reviewed. For that reason, it is better not to repeat names circulating through unofficial social-media or celebrity-family pages without stronger confirmation.

How Fatherhood Changed Paul Arriola

Arriola’s experience during the 2025 season demonstrated how important his children had become to him.

Seattle acquired him from FC Dallas in January 2025, but his promising start was interrupted when he suffered a torn ACL during a Concacaf Champions Cup match against Cruz Azul in March.

The injury ruled him out for the rest of the season and required months of rehabilitation. However, Arriola later explained that the situation gave him something professional athletes rarely receive: extended uninterrupted time at home.

He was able to support Akela during her second pregnancy, spend every evening with Sevyn and be present as the couple prepared to welcome another daughter.

Arriola said professional players often miss important family milestones because of matches, training and travel. His rehabilitation therefore gave him an opportunity to be much more present as both a husband and father.

Who Are Paul Arriola’s Parents?

Paul Arriola is the son of Dawn Arriola and the late Art Arriola. U.S. Soccer officially identifies both of his parents in its biography of the former national-team winger.

Paul grew up in Chula Vista, California, near the United States-Mexico border. His family supported the soccer journey that eventually took him from Southern California youth football to Mexico, Major League Soccer and the United States national team.

Paul Arriola’s Father: Art Arriola

Paul Arriola’s father was Art Arriola. He died in 2018 while Paul was playing for D.C. United.

The loss had a lasting impact on Arriola. He temporarily stepped away from club responsibilities to be with his family, and he has continued remembering his father during important moments of his life.

One of the clearest examples came at Paul and Akela’s wedding. Knowing how much her husband wished his father could have attended, Akela reserved a symbolic place for him during the ceremony.

Arriola told People that the gesture was especially meaningful, showing that his father’s memory remains an important part of the family he has built as an adult.

Paul Arriola’s Mother: Dawn Arriola

Paul Arriola’s mother is Dawn Arriola. U.S. Soccer identifies Dawn as his mother alongside his late father Art.

Dawn has generally maintained a more private profile, meaning reliable soccer sources provide comparatively little information about her professional life or personal background.

She nevertheless forms part of the family network surrounding Paul and his younger brother. Paul’s career required significant travel from a young age, particularly when he chose to cross the border and begin his professional career with Club Tijuana in Mexico.

That decision eventually proved successful, establishing a career that would later take him to D.C. United, Swansea City on loan, FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders.

Paul Arriola’s Brother

Paul Arriola has one publicly confirmed sibling, a younger brother named Artie Arriola.

U.S. Soccer’s official biography specifically states that Paul has one younger brother named Artie, making the immediate sibling relationship well established.

Artie Arriola

Artie Arriola is Paul’s younger brother. Unlike Paul, Artie has generally remained outside professional sports media coverage.

Reliable sources provide little detailed information about his occupation, education or adult life. Consequently, it is better to respect his private status rather than rely on unofficial databases or social-media accounts to construct a biography.

What can confidently be established is that Paul and Artie are the two sons of Dawn and the late Art Arriola.

Paul Arriola’s Mexican Family Heritage

Arriola grew up in Chula Vista, an area with close cultural and geographical ties to Mexico, and his own family also has Mexican heritage.

U.S. Soccer has documented that Arriola qualified for a Mexican passport through his great-grandparents, who were born in Mexico.

That family background played a practical role in his soccer career. As a teenager, Arriola had opportunities within American soccer but ultimately chose to begin his professional career with Club Tijuana in Liga MX.

Tijuana is located immediately across the border from the San Diego area, allowing Arriola to begin an international professional career while remaining relatively close to the region where he was raised.

His experience in Mexico also helped him develop into the player who would eventually represent the United States at senior international level.

From Chula Vista to Professional Soccer

Arriola developed with clubs including Arsenal FC and the LA Galaxy Academy before making the unusual decision to turn professional in Mexico.

He joined Club Tijuana and made his Liga MX debut in 2013. Over several seasons with Xolos, Arriola gained professional experience both domestically and in continental competition.

He transferred to D.C. United in 2017 and became an established Major League Soccer player. His time in Washington also included one of the hardest periods of his personal life when his father died in 2018.

Arriola remained with D.C. through 2021 before joining FC Dallas in 2022. That move coincided with major developments away from soccer: his engagement to Akela, their wedding and the birth of their first daughter.

Building a Family With Akela

The years after Arriola joined FC Dallas represented a significant transition from young professional player to husband and father.

He and Akela married in early 2023, welcomed Sevyn later that year and began building their family life in Texas while Arriola remained an important MLS player.

Another major change arrived when Seattle Sounders acquired him in January 2025. Paul and Akela had to relocate to a new city while raising a young daughter.

Only a few months later, his ACL injury changed their plans again. Akela was preparing for their second child while Paul faced a lengthy rehabilitation program.

Rather than spending the year traveling across North America with Seattle, Arriola was home for much of Akela’s pregnancy and the early stages of Sevyn’s childhood.

He has since described that increased family time as one of the most valuable positives to emerge from the injury.

Paul Arriola’s Family Life in Seattle

Seattle Sounders’ Behind the Shield series has provided one of the clearest recent looks at Arriola’s family life. The club followed the midfielder from his rehabilitation work at the team’s training facility back to his home with Akela and their two daughters.

The feature emphasized that his recovery involved considerably more than returning to professional soccer. He was simultaneously adapting to a new city, supporting his pregnant wife and spending more time with his first daughter.

After almost a year of rehabilitation, Arriola returned to competitive action for Seattle in 2026. By that point, his household had grown from three people to four.

The experience reinforced something Arriola has increasingly emphasized as he has grown older: professional accomplishments matter greatly, but his identity now also centers on being a husband and father.

As of now, Paul Arriola is married to Akela Banuelos Arriola and the couple have two daughters. Their eldest is Sevyn Helen Arriola, born in December 2023, while their second daughter was born in September 2025. Paul’s parents are Dawn and the late Art Arriola, and his younger brother is Artie Arriola.

Frequently Asked Questions About Paul Arriola’s Family

Who is Paul Arriola’s wife?

Paul Arriola’s wife is Akela Banuelos. The couple married on January 6, 2023, at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

How did Paul Arriola meet Akela Banuelos?

People reported that Paul and Akela initially connected through Instagram direct messages before developing a long-term relationship.

Does Paul Arriola have children?

Yes. Paul Arriola and Akela have two daughters.

Who is Paul Arriola’s eldest daughter?

Paul’s eldest daughter is Sevyn Helen Arriola, who was born on December 28, 2023.

When was Paul Arriola’s second daughter born?

Paul and Akela welcomed their second daughter in September 2025. Her name has not been clearly established in authoritative public sports sources.

Who are Paul Arriola’s parents?

Paul Arriola’s parents are Dawn Arriola and the late Art Arriola.

Who was Paul Arriola’s father?

Paul Arriola’s father was Art Arriola. He died in 2018, and Paul has continued honoring his memory during major moments of his life.

Who is Paul Arriola’s mother?

Paul Arriola’s mother is Dawn Arriola. She has maintained a relatively private public profile.

Does Paul Arriola have siblings?

Yes. U.S. Soccer confirms that Paul Arriola has one younger brother named Artie Arriola.

Is Paul Arriola of Mexican descent?

Yes. Arriola has Mexican family heritage. U.S. Soccer reports that he qualified for a Mexican passport through great-grandparents who were born in Mexico.