Ubusuku Abukusumo is a retired American

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 ...

defender who played professionally in

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 ...

and the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

Youth

In 1994, Abukusomo began his collegiate career at

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

. He then transferred to

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

where he played on the men's soccer team in 1995 and 1996.

Professional

In 1997, he signed an MLS Project 40 contract and was assigned to the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

on June 5. He played sparingly for the Crew over three seasons with much of the 1998 and 1999 seasons on loan to the MLS Pro 40 team. On November 25, 1999, the Crew waived Abukusumo. In February 2000, the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

selected Abukusumo in the sixth round (sixty-fourth overall) of the

2000 MLS SuperDraft The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds. One of the most successful draft picks was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a third round pick, who went on to hold the record ...

. The Mutiny released him in pre-season. On April 7, 2000, he signed with the

Minnesota Thunder Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its hom ...

of the

. In June, the

called Abukusumo for one game. On July 11, 2000, the Thunder traded him to the Raleigh Express for future considerations. He finished the season in Raleigh. He retired at the end of the season and returned to finish his college degree at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

International

In 1998, Abukusumo played for the U.S. U-23 team.U.S. U-23 national team roster for March 28 friendly vs. Canada
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abukusumo, Ubusuku 1977 births Living people Columbus Crew players Major League Soccer players NC State Wolfpack men's soccer players Minnesota Thunder players Raleigh (Capital) Express players Tampa Bay Mutiny players UNLV Rebels men's soccer players MLS Pro-40 players A-League (1995–2004) players Tampa Bay Mutiny draft picks Association football defenders American soccer players