Nidal Baba (born August 16, 1972 in
Humble, Texas
Humble ( ) is a city located in the Houston metropolitan area. Humble became an oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first discovered there in 1904. By 1905, the Humble oilfield was the largest producing oilfield in Texas. Humble ...
) is a retired U.S.
soccer midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
who was a member of the
U.S. U-16 national team at the
1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship
The 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the third edition of the tournament, was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 June and 24 June 1989. Players born after 1 August 1972 could participa ...
. He also played three games with the
MetroStars during the 1996
Major League Soccer season.
Baba attended
Humble High School
Humble High School (HHS) is a secondary school in the Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 for the city of Humble, the Moonshine Hill area of Houston, and unincorporated communities no ...
where he was a two-time
Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player. In 1989, he was a member of the
U.S. U-16 national team at the
1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship
The 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the third edition of the tournament, was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 June and 24 June 1989. Players born after 1 August 1972 could participa ...
. His brother, Imad, scored the winning goal as the U.S. defeated Brazil, the team finished group play with a 1-1-1 record, and failed to qualify for the second round. He went on to play several games that fall with the
U.S. U-20 national team. He then attended
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...
, playing on the men's soccer team from 1992 to 1994. He finished his career with 13 goals and 17 assists. On February 7, 1996, the
MetroStars selected Baba in the 14th round (139th overall) in the
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. He played only three games before being released. In 2002, he worked with his brother
Imad Baba in a nutrition store in Houston, Texas.
MLS Retirees
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baba, Nidal
1972 births
Living people
People from Humble, Texas
American soccer players
Clemson Tigers men's soccer players
New York Red Bulls players
Major League Soccer players
United States men's youth international soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas
Soccer players from Texas
Association football midfielders