Ali Ahmed (soccer)

Last updated

Ali Ahmed
Ali Ahmed.png
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-10-10) October 10, 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, left-back
Team information
Current team
 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Number 22
Youth career
2020–2022 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022 Whitecaps FC 2 15 (0)
2022 → Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) 2 (0)
2023– Vancouver Whitecaps FC 44 (3)
International career‡
2023– Canada 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 19, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 19, 2024

Ali Ahmed (born October 10, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder or left-back for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Canada national team.

Contents

Early life

Ahmed was born in Toronto to parents from the Oromo Region of Ethiopia. [1] In 2018, he went on trial with the Toronto FC Academy, who were ready to sign him to join the academy, but he opted to head to Portugal to trial with the U19 side of C.F. Os Belenenses, but was unable to sign as he was under 18. [1] He then went to Spain, before returning to Toronto, before returning to Europe to trial in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. [1] In November 2019, he trialed with the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and then trialed again the following year, [1] and in August 2020, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy. [2] In 2021, he played with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23. [2] He attended pre-season camp with the first team in 2021 and 2022. [2]

Club career

In March 2022, he signed a professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in MLS Next Pro. [3] He made his professional debut on March 26 against Houston Dynamo 2. [4] He led the team in assists with five in 2022. [5] He was named the 2022 WFC2 Player of the Year. [6]

On April 22, 2022, he joined the first team on a short-term four-day loan ahead of their MLS league match against Austin FC. [7] In the match the next day, he made his official first-team debut. [8] On August 4, he signed another short-term loan with Vancouver. [9] In November 2022, he signed a permanent contract with the first team for the 2023 season, becoming the first Whitecaps FC 2 player to sign a first-team contract. [10] On May 24, he suffered what appeared to be a serious injury in a match, where he lost consciousness and was treated on-field for seventeen minutes, [11] [12] but fortunately was released from hospital the next day with only a concussion. [13] [14] On June 7, 2023, he won the 2023 Canadian Championship with the Whitecaps, defeating CF Montreal and won the tournament's Best Young Canadian Player Award. [15]

Personal life

Ahmed is a Muslim and fasts during the month of Ramadan. [16] [17]

International career

In May 2023, Ahmed was listed on the Canada preliminary roster for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. [18] [19] In June 2023, he was named to the final 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. [20] Ahmed made his debut for Canada on June 27 in their tournament opener against Guadeloupe. [21] [22]

In June 2024, Ahmed was named to Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América. [23]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played November 8, 2024 [24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeaguePlayoffsNational cupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Whitecaps FC 2 2022 MLS Next Pro 150––––150
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) 2022 MLS 20–00––20
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2023 MLS22220213010303
2024 22130400020311
Total44350613030614
Career total61350613030784

International

As of match played November 19, 2024 [25]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Canada 202340
202480
Total120

Honours

Vancouver Whitecaps

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Teibert</span> Canadian soccer player

Russell James Teibert is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played his entire career for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Adekugbe</span> Canadian soccer player (born 1995)

Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe is a professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Born in England, he represents the Canada national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitecaps FC 2</span> Soccer club in Vancouver, British Columbia

Whitecaps FC 2 is a professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that serves as the reserve team of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Levis</span> Canadian soccer player (born 1993)

Brett Levis is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Detroit City in the USL Championship.

J. Kadin Brian Chung is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominick Zator</span> Canadian soccer player (born 1994)

Dominick Lukasz Zator is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Ekstraklasa club Korona Kielce and the Canada national team.

David Daniel Norman Jr. is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

Thomas Hasal is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.

Ryan Raposo is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a wingback for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Wright</span> Canadian soccer player

Lowell Wright is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League.

Christopher Lee is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a defender.

Matteo William Campagna is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

Jay Joshua Herdman is a New Zealand professional footballer who currently plays for Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC, on loan from Whitecaps FC 2. He is a youth international for New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Becher</span> American soccer player

Simon Michael Becher is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club St. Louis City, on loan from Danish 1st Division side AC Horsens.

The 2023 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season was the club's twelfth season in Major League Soccer, the top division of soccer in the United States and Canada. Including previous iterations of the franchise, this was the 46th season of professional soccer being played in Vancouver under a variation of the "Whitecaps" name.

Levonte Leroy Brown Johnson is a Canadian professional soccer player who most recently played for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.

Vasco Fry Conroy is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

Jeevan Singh Badwal is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.

Thierno Elage Bah is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Adams, J.J. (April 27, 2022). "The road less travelled for Whitecaps prospect Ali Ahmed". The Province .
  2. 1 2 3 McColl, Michael (March 19, 2022). "Whitecaps FC 2 are back – Get to know the new squad (Part Two)". Away from the Numbers.
  3. ↑ "WFC2 sign two Canadians and four 2022 MLS SuperDraft picks". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . March 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ Fossey, Maxim (March 26, 2022). "WFC2 open inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season with narrow 1-0 loss against Houston Dynamo 2". Vancouver Whitecaps FC .
  5. ↑ Durec, Nathan (October 19, 2022). "Terminal City Thoughts: A look at a few Whitecaps 2 players". Area 51 Sports Network.
  6. ↑ "Whitecaps FC announce winners for 2022 Player Awards". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . October 28, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Whitecaps FC sign WFC2 wingback Ali Ahmed and midfielder Vasco Fry to MLS short-term agreements". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . April 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ Vancouver Whitecaps FC [@WhitecapsFC] (April 24, 2022). "Ali Ahmed's MLS Debut @aliahmed51_ #VWFC #ATXvVAN" (Tweet). Retrieved November 1, 2022– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "Whitecaps FC sign wingback Ali Ahmed and striker Simon Becher to MLS short-term agreements". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . August 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Whitecaps FC sign MLS NEXT Pro wingback Ali Ahmed to an MLS contract through 2025". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . November 16, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ali Ahmed posts thank you message, insists he'll be back on the pitch with Vancouver Whitecaps soon". Canadian Soccer Daily. May 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ Bahl, Andrew (May 25, 2023). "Scary Ali Ahmed injury overshadows Whitecaps' Canadian Championship win". The Third Sub.
  13. ↑ Jacques, John (May 25, 2023). "Ali Ahmed Cleared By Hospital, Returns To Team". Northern Tribune.
  14. ↑ "Whitecaps' Ali Ahmed cleared to travel with team after leaving hospital". Sportsnet . May 24, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 "Gressel and Ahmed win awards at 2023 Canadian Championship". Canadian Soccer Association . June 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ {{Cite web|url=https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/ramadan-a-mental-test-for-pro-athletes
  17. ↑ {{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/aahmed22_/p/C4Y8FvYPMYI/?img_index=1
  18. ↑ "CONCACAF drops stacked Canada preliminary Nations League roster with some surprise names". Canada Soccer Daily. May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  19. ↑ Adams, J.J. (May 24, 2023). "Scary injury to Ali Ahmed casts pall over Vancouver Whitecaps victory". The Province .
  20. ↑ "Ali Ahmed called up to Canada MNT for Concacaf Gold Cup". Vancouver Whitecaps FC . June 19, 2023.
  21. ↑ Steiner, Ben (June 28, 2023). "MLS rookies Amhed, Bombito inspire in Canada's Gold Cup opener". Major League Soccer .
  22. ↑ Nightingale, Tom (June 28, 2023). "'Fearless' Ali Ahmed's Canada debut marks latest high point for breakout Vancouver Whitecaps star". Canadian Soccer Daily.
  23. ↑ "CANMNT ANNOUNCE 2024 COPA AMÉRICA ROSTER". Canadian Soccer Association . June 15, 2024.
  24. ↑ Ali Ahmed at Soccerway
  25. ↑ Ali Ahmed at National-Football-Teams.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  26. ↑ "Three-peat! Vancouver Whitecaps top Toronto FC to win Canadian Championship". Major League Soccer. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.