Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Amirah Iman Ali [1] | ||
Date of birth | December 7, 1998 | ||
Place of birth | Voorhees Township, New Jersey | ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward, Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | San Diego Wave | ||
Number | 7 | ||
Youth career | |||
Winslow Tigers | |||
Players Development Academy | |||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2021 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 103 | (44) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022– | San Diego Wave | 48 | (5) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 29, 2024 |
Amirah Iman Ali (born December 7, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward or midfielder for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Ali, born in Voorhees Township and raised in Winslow Township, New Jersey, played youth soccer for the Winslow Tigers, a New Jersey–based travel team coached by Rich King, the father of NWSL player Tziarra King. [2] [3] In Ali’s later youth years, she joined Players Development Academy of the Elite Clubs National League prior to going to Rutgers University. [4] [5]
Ali played high school soccer for Eastern Regional High School in her hometown of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where she was named High School Girls' Player of the Year by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the Courier-Post , and the United Soccer Coaches. [3] She finished her high school career with 99 goals and 51 assists. [6] [7]
Amirah played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 2017 to 2021, primarily as a forward or attacking midfielder. The Scarlet Knights won their first-ever Big Ten Conference championship in 2021 with Ali on the squad, and she was on the shortlist for the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019, 2020, and 2021. [2]
Portland Thorns FC drafted Ali with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, despite her decision not to declare for the draft. Thorns coach Mark Parsons suggested Ali was capable of playing immediately for an NWSL club. [8] She instead returned to Rutgers to complete her collegiate career, leading Rutgers to the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament – the program's first appearance since 2015 – and the Scarlet Knights finished as semi-finalists. [2]
Amirah finished her Rutgers career with 44 goals, 17 of them match-winners, and 19 assists. She scored nine career golden goals, a Rutgers record, and played 6,309 minutes across 103 matches, 102 of them as a starter. Ali finished her career at Rutgers as the program's only four-time all-American. [5] She was a team captain in 2019, 2020, and 2021. [9]
Portland traded the NWSL player rights to Ali, as well as defender Christen Westphal, to San Diego Wave in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money on December 16, 2021. [10] Ali scored her first professional goal on April 2, 2022, during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup against Angel City FC. [11]
Prior to 2024, Ali re-signed with the Wave for an additional season. [12] During the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, Ali participated in a penalty shootout between the Wave and Angel City FC. She was the only player on either team to have their kick saved, resulting in Angel City winning the shootout and advancing to the knockout stage of the competition. [13] [14] On September 14, 2024, Ali scored the opening goal 27 seconds into a 2–1 victory over the Utah Royals. The goal, Ali's first of the season, became the Wave's fastest-ever goal in club history. [15] [16]
Ali played for the United States under-19 national team and was invited to U14, U18, and U19 camps. [5]
Club | Season | League | Cup [a] | Playoffs [b] | Continental [c] | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
San Diego Wave FC | 2022 | NWSL | 18 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
2023 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||||
2024 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | 3 [d] | 1 | 21 | 3 | |||
Career total | 48 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 68 | 8 |
San Diego Wave
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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