Mohamed Farsi (born 16 December 1999) is a Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who currently plays as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

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 ...

club Columbus Crew.

Early life

Farsi was born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n parents from

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

. He began playing soccer at age eight with local club CS Boucaniers. He later played youth soccer for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and CS Panellinios, eventually playing at the senior amateur level in the LSEQ with Panellinios's senior team.

Club career

College and semi-pro

In 2017, Farsi played college soccer for Collège Ahuntsic, winning the provincial championship and being named to the all-star team. In 2018, Farsi signed with Première Ligue de soccer du Québec side Longueuil, making thirteen league appearances that season. In 2019, Farsi switched to defending PLSQ champions Blainville, making nine league appearances and two appearances in the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

against Canadian Premier League side

York9 York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. Histo ...

Aïn M'lila

In 2019, Farsi signed his first professional contract with

Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 The Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 ( ar, الرابطة الجزائرية المحترفة الأولى لكرة القدم); known as Championnat National de Première Division or Ligue 1 for short, and formerly known as the Championnat Natio ...

side

AS Aïn M'lila Association Sportive Aïn M'lila ( ar, جمعية عين مليلة), commonly known as AS Aïn M'lila or simply ASAM for short, is an Algerian football club based in Aïn M'lila. The club was founded in 1933 and its colours are red and black. T ...

. He left after the season, without making an appearance.

Cavalry FC

On 15 April 2020, Farsi signed with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC, after impressing during a trial. He made his debut as a substitute in Cavalry's first game of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season, a 2–2 draw with

Forge FC Forge FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of Canadian soccer. The club plays its home matches at Tim Hortons Field. Forge FC joined the CPL in 2019 as ...

. Farsi exceled during the 2020 season, earning praise for his offensive and defensive efforts, and was named for the league's U-21 player of the year. He was awarded the El Jimador Shot of the Year, for his goal against

Pacific FC Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford. History On May 5, 201 ...

on September 9, 2020. In November 2020, Farsi re-signed with the club for the 2021 season. After the 2021 season, Cavalry announced that Farsi was leaving the club in order to pursue a contract in Europe or

Columbus Crew

In March 2022, Columbus Crew 2 of MLS Next Pro announced they had signed Farsi ahead of their inaugural season. He made his debut in the club's first match against

Inter Miami CF II Inter Miami Club de Fútbol II, commonly known as Inter Miami CF II, is an American professional soccer club based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that plays in the MLS Next Pro, the third-tier of American soccer. The club was established on Feb ...

on March 26. On June 18, he signed a short-term loan with the Columbus Crew first team in

for their match against Charlotte FC, in which he appeared as a substitute. At the end of the season, he was named to the MLS Next Pro Best XI. In July 2022, he signed a first team contract with the Columbus Crew, and appeared in seven games, all of them as second half substitutions. Farsi scored his first goal for Columbus on April 26, 2023 in a

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

match against Indy Eleven. Farsi was a regular starter for Columbus during 2023. On September 12, he played 86 minutes in

MLS Cup 2023 MLS Cup 2023 was the 28th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), played on December 9, 2023, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The soccer match between hosts Columbus Crew of the Eastern ...

, helping Columbus win its third league championship.

International career

Youth and Futsal

Before starting his professional career, Farsi was a prominent member of the Canadian futsal team, winning the Canadian Futsal Player of the Year award for 2020. He would go on to be involved in the 2020 Olympic football qualifiers with the Canada under-23s after initially being named a back up to the team.

Senior

Eligible for both

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and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Farsi confirmed he had declined an invitation to Canada's preliminary rosters ahead of the

2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

and the

2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be the 17th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's football championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament will take place from Ju ...

, adding that he was not ready to decide his international future.

Style of play

Farsi is a versatile and dynamic player, known for his technical ability, quick pace, and attacking mindset. He primarily plays as a wing-back but is also proficient in central defense and midfield positions. His ability to contribute both defensively and offensively makes him a valuable asset on the pitch. Farsi excels in creating scoring opportunities with accurate crosses and his quick, aggressive movements up the field. He describes himself as "someone who enjoys getting forward, running at players, and dribbling in one-on-one situations".

Personal life

Farsi is multilingual, fluent in English, French, and Arabic. Growing up, he participated in soccer,

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

, as well as taekwondo. He is a fan of

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

and

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

Career statistics

Honours

Columbus Crew *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

Individual *Canadian Premier League Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farsi, Mohamed 1999 births Living people Men's association football defenders Canadian men's soccer players Soccer players from Montreal Canadian people of Algerian descent Sportspeople of Algerian descent AS Aïn M'lila players Cavalry FC players Ligue1 Québec players Canadian Premier League players CS Longueuil players Columbus Crew players Columbus Crew 2 players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players