Michael Lahoud (french: Michel Lahoud, ar, مايكل لحود; born September 15, 1986) is a former Sierra Leonean

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 ...

and current broadcaster for

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...

. He also holds

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

citizenship.

Career

College

Born in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, Lahoud moved from his country to

Annandale, Virginia Annandale () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia.Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, commonly known as W.T. Woodson High School or simply Woodson, is a high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the east end of the city of Fairfax, opposite the shopping center on Main Street. The sc ...

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

, 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 ...

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

, playing a total of 95 games. As a freshman forward in 2005, Lahoud was tied for second on the team with seven goals which landed him on the 2005 All ACC Freshman Team as well. He finished with 14 goals and 20 assists in four seasons. He helped win the NCAA National Championship in 2007, and final four appearances in 2006 and 2008. In 2008, he was named to the All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Second Team. Lahoud is ranked in a tie for second in career games played at Wake Forest with 95 and fourth in career games started with 89. During his college years Lahoud also played with

Carolina Dynamo North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

in 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 ...

Professional

Lahoud was drafted in the first round (9th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

. He made his professional debut on 21 March 2009, in Chivas's first game of the 2009 MLS season against

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

. He played in 16 games (nine starts) with one goal and one assist. His first MLS goal was on Oct. 25, 2009 vs Houston in the 59th minute. Scored his first goal as a profession in the SuperLiga match on June 20, 2009 against

Tigres UANL Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Foun ...

. On September 14, 2010 Chivas USA beat

CD Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divisi ...

and won the ChivaClásico Trophy following a penalty kick shootout after both sides ended scoreless in regulation. Michael Lahoud buried the final penalty to give the American Red-and-Whites a 4-2 victory. He was awarded the MVP Trophy. On May 17, 2012, Lahoud was traded to the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

in exchange for

Danny Califf Daniel Benjamin Califf (born March 17, 1980 in Orange, California) is an American retired soccer player. Career Youth and College Califf (pronounced kāl'ĭ-f) started his youth career in soccer for Canyon Hills Soccer Association, playing on t ...

. On January 12, 2016, Lahoud joined NASL side

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

on a season-long loan. Lahoud's loan was cut short on May 24, 2016, when he was sold to NASL side

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 a reported $300,000. Lahoud joined

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

side

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

on April 18, 2018.

International career

Lahoud received his first international call for

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

in late August 2013 for their

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

match against

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

despite not having been to Sierra Leone since 1993. Lahoud made his international debut in the match, a 3-2 victory for Sierra Leone, after being substituted in for the final 15 minutes of the match.

Career statistics

Updated April 21, 2014

Volunteer work

Lahoud was the August recipient of

MLS 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 ...

W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month honor in 2010 for his efforts with HIV prevention through The Wall Memorias Project. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

game at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ( ...

on September 17, 2010. Alongside former

teammate Justin Braun he volunteers and mentors the Compton United Soccer Club. In March 2011, Lahoud created a charity event "Schools for Salone" that helps schools in Sierra Leone. In July 2011, Lahoud posed for the NOH8 campaign, which raises awareness for gay rights. In December 2015, Lahoud and national teammate and fellow-MLS player

Kei Kamara Kei Ansu Kamara (; born 1 September 1984) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a striker for CF Montréal of Major League Soccer. He is one of only eleven players to have scored 100 goals in MLS history, achieving the l ...

were the co-recipients of the 2015 FIFPro Merit Award for their efforts in creating a school for children displaced by civil war in their native Sierra Leone.

Honors

Wake Forest University

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

All Met Player of the Year: 2005 *All-ACC Freshman Team: 2005 * Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Team of the Year: 2005 *ACC Player of the Week: 2007 *

Soccer America ''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the US, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California. History and profile The magazine was founded by Clay Ber ...

Player of the Week: 2007 *

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

(1):

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

Individual

* FIFPro Merit Award:2015

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lahoud, Michael 1986 births Living people Sierra Leonean footballers Sierra Leonean expatriate footballers Sierra Leone international footballers Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer players North Carolina Fusion U23 players Chivas USA players Philadelphia Union players New York Cosmos (2010) players Miami FC players FC Cincinnati (2016–18) players Sportspeople from Freetown Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States Chivas USA draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players Sierra Leonean people of Lebanese descent Soccer players from Virginia American people of Sierra Leonean descent American people of Lebanese descent Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Association football midfielders San Antonio FC players Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School alumni USL Championship players