Said Ali (born October 26, 1980) is a Jordanian-born Canadian former

soccer player 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 ...

who began his career in 2004 with

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

in the USL Pro Select League. After a successful season in the USL Pro Select League he managed to play in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

with the

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 Mar ...

, and the

Toronto Lynx Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes D ...

. He would later conclude his career in the Canadian Soccer League with the

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned soc ...

, and

Hamilton Croatia Hamilton Croatia is a Croatian Canadian amateur soccer team founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1957. It is supported by the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton Inc. (formerly the Croatian National Sports Club of Hamilton, Inc.) ...

Playing career

College soccer

Ali began playing soccer at the college level in 2002 while attending

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

. In his first season with Robert Morris he was named to the All-Northeast Conference first team after contributing 11 goals and 3 assists. The following season he netted in 13 goals and recorded four assists, and for the second consecutive year was named to the All-Northeast Conference first team.

Professional career

In 2004, he transitioned to the professional realm after signing with

in the USL Pro Soccer League. Where in his rookie season he finished as the team's top goalscorer with 15 goals, and finished second in league scoring. He helped Pittsburgh win their first Conference title, but were eliminated in the semifinals by the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at ...

. Once the season came to a conclusion Ali was named the USL Pro Soccer League Rookie of the Year, and throughout the season he was also named to the PSL Team of the Week eight times including Player of the Week once. On February 8, 2005 the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 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 ...

announced the signing of Ali to a one-year deal with an option. Throughout the season he made minimal appearances, and as a result was traded midway through the season to the

in return for Josue Mayard. During his tenure in Toronto he featured in 15 matches, and recorded an assist. In 2008, he featured in the Canadian Soccer League with the

Serbian White Eagles FC Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned socce ...

. He contributed by assisting the White Eagles in claiming their first

CSL Championship The Canadian Soccer League championship final or CSL Championship is the post-season match of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and is the successor to the CNSL Championship. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North A ...

by defeating the

Trois-Rivières Attak Trois-Rivières Attak was a Canadian soccer team that played three seasons in the Canadian Soccer League. They formally served as a reserve and academy team for the USL First Division side Montreal Impact. The club was an instant success withi ...

2-1 on penalties. In 2010, he played with

, and made his debut for the club on May 15, 2010 in a match against

TFC Academy Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. The academy has divisions from U14 to U19 and includes over 110 young players. The senior academy team is ...

. He recorded his first goal for the club on June 25, 2010 in 6-1 victory over St. Catharines Wolves.

Personal life

Ali was born in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, and played with the Jordan national under-16 football team from 1994 till 1995. He immigrated to Canada in 1996 where he settled in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, and became a citizen in 1998.

Honors

Player

;Serbian White Eagles *

: ::

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Said Living people 1980 births Soccer players from Hamilton, Ontario Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Robert Morris Colonials men's soccer players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Toronto Lynx players Serbian White Eagles FC players USL First Division players USL Second Division players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Sportspeople from Tripoli, Lebanon Jordanian emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Jordanian descent Hamilton Croatia players