Oumar Ballo (born 2 April 1991) is a Malian

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

Ballo began his

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 ...

career at

Community College of Baltimore County The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is a public community college in Baltimore County, Maryland, with three main campuses and three extension centers. Academics CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs in ...

in 2011, before transferring to

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral, ...

in 2012. Ballo also played in the

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

for

Baltimore Bohemians Baltimore Bohemians were an American soccer club based in Baltimore. They competed in the USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, between 2012 and 2016. The club went on hiatus for the 2017 season. History ...

in 2012 and 2013, and

Reading United A.C. Reading United AC is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club plays its home games at Don Thomas Stadium on the campus ...

in 2014.

Professional

On January 15, 2015, Ballo was selected in the second round (30th overall) in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Januar ...

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 ...

and signed a professional contract with the club on February 23, 2015. Ballo signed on loan with

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

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

on March 24, 2015. However, Ballo was waived by Houston on April 23, 2015 without having made a first team appearance for either club. He trialled with

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 ...

following his release, but wasn't signed by the

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. On January 11, 2016, Ballo was signed by

side Swope Park Rangers. On November 30, 2017, Ballo was announced as one of

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

's first signings ahead of their inaugural 2018

season. However, the team later announced that Ballo would not be joining the team due to visa issues. Ballo spent 2018 with

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 ...

side

Northern Virginia United FC Northern Virginia United FC is an American soccer club based in Leesburg, Virginia. They currently have teams in the fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League and fifth-tier United Premier Soccer League. The club's primary nickname is 'NVU' an ...

, making two regular season appearances and a single play-off appearance for the club.

Personal

Ballo moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

when he was nine-years-old, settling with his father and step-mother in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. His father's wife at the time, Audrey Haskins, was instrumental in guiding Oumar's education and introduction to soccer in America

References

External links

UMBC bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballo, Oumar 1991 births Living people Malian men's footballers Malian expatriate men's footballers UMBC Retrievers men's soccer players Baltimore Bohemians players Houston Dynamo FC draft picks Reading United AC players Houston Dynamo FC players Charleston Battery players Sporting Kansas City II players Men's association football defenders Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States National Premier Soccer League players Soccer players from Baltimore Footballers from Bamako USL League Two players USL Championship players 21st-century Malian people