Ansu Toure (born 18 March 1981) is a professional Liberian

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 ...

that last played in the Indonesian league with Persiba Balikpapan, he is also a member of the Liberian national football team

Career

Youth and Amateur

Toure played five years of youth soccer with Genesis Football Club in his native Liberia, before moving with his family to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, in 1999. He graduated from

Park Center Senior High School Park Center Senior High School (PCSH) is a four-year public high school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States, on 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. PCSH is located near the border of two northwest twin cities suburbs, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Cen ...

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park is a suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from (north of) downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County. It is the List of cities in Minnesota, sixth-largest city in the U ...

, before taking courses in sport management at

North Hennepin Community College North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) is a public community college in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It was founded in 1966 and is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. History The college was founded in 1966 as N ...

in 2009 and 2010. Toure also netted 27 goals in 14 appearances for the

Minnesota Twin Stars Minnesota TwinStars FC was an American soccer team playing in the Minnetonka High School Stadium, Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League. Prior to the 2004 season, the team was known ...

in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

in 2006.

Professional

Toure first entered the United Soccer Leagues First Division with

Minnesota Thunder Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its hom ...

in July 2006, and in two seasons with the Thunder, Toure scored six goals and added one assist in 34 appearances. Prior to the start of his second season in Minnesota, Toure played in eight preseason matches during a two-month trial with

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. During his spell with the Red Bulls, Toure scored a goal against

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

as well as the game-winner against

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Arena has had ...

commented on Toure that he had a nice hard shot and was getting better every week. Despite Toure impressing Red Bulls Coach Arena, he was not offered a contract. Toure transferred to the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

in 2007, eventually scoring six goals and recording four assists in 19 matches. Two of Toure's six goals last season came in Atlanta's 3–2 loss to the Whitecaps on 10 August. Four days after the Whitecaps match, Toure was traded to

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

for midfielder Sean Cameron. As a member of the Blues, the winger assisted on one goal during his eight appearances. On 21 January 2009 Toure joined

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

, signing a two-year contract. He scored his first goal for the team on 9 June 2010 against the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

. In February 2011, Toure signed a contract with

Swiss Challenge League The Challenge League is the second-highest tier of the Swiss football league system and lower of two professional leagues in the country. Ten teams play in the Challenge League; the winners of the league are promoted to the Super League, while the ...

club

FC Locarno FC Locarno is a Swiss football club based in Locarno in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ...

. After releasing from Locarno, he joined

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...

side FC Vestsjaelland on 2 July 2012.

International

Toure has played for the U-14, U-15 and U-20 Liberian National teams. Toure has also received a call-up to Liberia's senior side, but was unable to attend due to club commitments. In 2013, he represented Liberia in

2014 World Cup qualifiers The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil. The remaining 31 places were determined b ...

against

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

.FIFA
"FIFA Player Statistics: Ansu TOURE"
Retrieved on 19 June 2016.

References

External links

Vancouver Whitecaps profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toure, Ansu 1981 births Living people Liberian footballers Liberian expatriate footballers Sportspeople from Monrovia Association football forwards USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players National Premier Soccer League players Atlanta Silverbacks players Miami FC (2006) players Minnesota Thunder players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players FC Locarno players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate footballers in Switzerland Expatriate footballers in Denmark Expatriate footballers in Indonesia Persiba Balikpapan players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players