Almir Barbosa (born June 2, 1980) is a

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

Career

College and Amateur

Born in

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

, Barbosa spent his early childhood in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, before moving to

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, in the United States aged 15. He played for the Massachusetts-based Cape Verdean ethnic Fidjus Terra, Alianca CV, and Clube Tabanka, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

at the

University of South Carolina Spartanburg The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) is a public university in Valley Falls, South Carolina, near Spartanburg and with a Spartanburg postal address.Compare to: (shows the university is not in the Spartanburg city limits)

, where he was a National Soccer Coaches Athletic Association All-American in 2000 and received All-Conference honors in 2003.

Professional

Barbosa turned professional in 2004, and began his career in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

, then moving to Sweden, playing for

Kristianstads FF Kristianstads DFF is a women's association football club from Kristianstad, Sweden. The club is affiliated to the Skånes Fotbollförbund. History The original club Wä IF played in from 1989 to 1994 in the Damallsvenskan. The club was reformed ...

, before returning to the United States when he signed for the

New Hampshire Phantoms The Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly the New Hampshire Phantoms) are an American soccer team based in the coastal region of southeastern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The team is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it p ...

in the

in 2006. Barbosa was named to the USL Division 2 All-League First Team and tied for second in the league in scoring with 10 goals in his debut season with the Phantoms. Barbosa moved to the

Harrisburg City Islanders Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...

in 2008 making 16 appearances, following the Phantoms' relegation to the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

, and spent one year in Pennsylvania before signing for the

Western Mass Pioneers Western Mass Pioneers is an American soccer team based in Ludlow, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Lusitano Stadium, ...

in 2009. He played 19 games and scored 9 goals for the Pioneers in USL-2 in 2009. Barbosa was named to the USL Division 2 All-League Team, but was released at the end of the year when the Pioneers also self-relegated to the PDL. Barbosa, also had the honor of being selected as one of USL's Division 2 player of the decade. Having been unable to secure a professional contract elsewhere, Barbosa returned to play for the

in the

in 2010.

References

External links

Pioneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbosa, Almir 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Praia Cape Verdean footballers Men's association football forwards Penn FC players Seacoast United Phantoms players USL Second Division players Western Mass Pioneers players USL League Two players Cape Verdean emigrants to the United States Cape Verdean expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Sweden Cape Verdean expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Rhode Island Stingrays players USC Upstate Spartans men's soccer players