Jalil Anibaba

Jalil Anibaba (/dʒəˈliːl ɑːniˈbɑːbə/; born October 19, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who last played in Major League Soccer for Columbus Crew. He is currently a club ambassador for Nashville SC.[1]

Jalil Anibaba
Anibaba playing for Seattle Sounders FC in 2014
Personal information
Full name Jalil Anibaba
Date of birth (1988-10-19) October 19, 1988
Place of birth Fontana, California, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Defender
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Santa Clara Broncos 61 (3)
2010 North Carolina Tar Heels 24 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Carolina Dynamo 12 (0)
2011–2013 Chicago Fire 96 (4)
2014 Seattle Sounders FC 16 (0)
2015 Sporting Kansas City 16 (1)
2016–2017 Houston Dynamo 38 (0)
2018–2019 New England Revolution 53 (1)
2020–2021 Nashville SC 21 (1)
2022 Columbus Crew 5 (0)
Total 257 (7)
International career‡
2007 United States U18 3 (0)
2007 United States U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:23, 3 September 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 4, 2012

Career

College and amateur

Anibaba grew up in Davis, California[2] where he attended Davis Senior High School, where in his senior season he was the California Gatorade Soccer Player of the year, and played college soccer at Santa Clara University for the first three years of his college career. In 2009, Anibaba captained the Broncos, who were selected for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-West Region team.

For his senior season he transferred to the University of North Carolina, where he won numerous awards, including NSCAA Second Team All-America, NSCAA First Team All-Region, First Team All-ACC, ACC All-Tournament Team and 2007 WCC Freshman of the Year.[3]

Anibaba made twelve appearances for USL Premier Development League club Carolina Dynamo during their 2010 season.[4]

Professional

On January 14, 2011, Anibaba was drafted #9 overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire.[5] He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011, in Chicago's first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–1 tie with FC Dallas,[6] and scored his first professional goal – a 40-yard screamer – on March 30, 2011 in a 2–1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the qualifying round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.[7] Anibaba would go on to tally two more goals in the 2011 season finale, heading home two strikes in the space of 19 minutes in a 3–2 win vs. Columbus Crew on October 22, 2011. Anibaba closed out his first season in MLS setting a club record for regular season appearances by a rookie with 29 and had his March 30 strike vs. Colorado voted the team's "Goal of the Year" by the team's fans following the campaign.[8]

After three seasons with Chicago, Anibaba was traded in January 2014 with the #8 pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and a conditional third-round selection in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for the #13 pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, and defender Patrick Ianni.[9]

On December 10, 2014, Anibaba was selected by Orlando City SC with the fifth pick in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft.[10] After the draft, Anibaba was shipped to Sporting Kansas City as part of the trade for Aurelien Collin.[11] Anibaba was dropped by Sporting Kansas City on November 25, 2015.[12]

Anibaba was released by Kansas City at the end of the 2015 MLS season and later signed with the Houston Dynamo.[13] His option was declined following the 2017 season; he signed with the New England Revolution in the 2018 preseason.[14] Anibaba quickly became a fan-favorite in New England, partly due to his passionate celebrations following successful blocks and tackles.[15] On March 30, 2019, Anibaba scored his only goal for the Revs in a 2–1 victory over Minnesota United FC.[16]

On November 19, 2019, Anibaba was selected by MLS expansion side Nashville SC in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft.[17] Following the 2021 season Anibaba's contract expired with Nashville.[18]

On January 14, 2022, Anibaba signed a 1-year deal as a free agent with Columbus Crew.[19]

On Monday, February 13, Anibaba announced his retirement from professional soccer, after which he was named the first-ever club ambassador for Nashville SC.

Personal life

Anibaba was born in the United States and is of Nigerian descent.[20] His brother Jammil and cousin Sule played college soccer during the 2000s for the UC Davis Aggies,[21] while half brother Josh Reese plays American football for UC Davis Aggies.[22]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 25 November 2020[23]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Carolina Dynamo 2010[24] PDL 120——120
Chicago Fire 2011 MLS 29240—332
2012 331101[lower-alpha 1]0351
2013 34140—381
Total 96490101064
Seattle Sounders FC 2014 MLS 160401[lower-alpha 1]0210
Sporting Kansas City 2015 MLS 1611000171
Houston Dynamo 2016 MLS 30020—320
2017 80204[lower-alpha 1]0140
Total 3804040460
New England Revolution 2018 MLS 31010—320
2019 2212000241
Total 5313000561
Nashville SC 2020 MLS 120—1[lower-alpha 1]0130
Career total 2436210702716
  1. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs

References
  1. "MLS veteran Jalil Anibaba retires, appointed Nashville SC club ambassador | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. "Santa Clara".
  3. "Jalil Anibaba Profile". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011.
  4. "Dynamo Continue Strong Start". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011.
  5. "Fire garner defender Anibaba in MLS Draft". espn.com. ESPN. January 13, 2011.
  6. "Fire, FCD trade early goals en route to 1–1 draw". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011.
  7. "Chicago beat Colorado in US Open Cup". chicagofirefc.com. Chicago Fire. March 31, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. "Goal Of The Year". chicagofirefc.com. Chicago Fire. November 19, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. "TRADE: Chicago Fire Soccer Club Acquires Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Patrick Ianni". chicagofirefc.com. Chicago Fire. January 15, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. "MLS Expansion Draft: Orlando City takes Donovan Ricketts with top pick". Fox Sports. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015.
  11. "Sporting KC acquires defender Jalil Anibaba to complete trade for Aurelien Collin". kansascity.com. Sporting Kansas City. December 10, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. "Sporting KC announces roster moves". sportingkc.com. Sporting Kansas City. November 25, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. "Houston Dynamo sign defender Jalil Anibaba". houstondynamo.com. Houston Dynamo. January 11, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. "Revolution Sign Jalil Anibaba and Nicolas Samayoa". revolutionsoccer.net. New England Revolution. February 9, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. Macomber, Seth (April 29, 2018). "Jalil Anibaba is very happy to be in New England". The Bent Musket.
  16. "NEvsMIN 03-30-2019 | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  17. "2019 Expansion Draft results: Inter Miami, Nashville SC make their picks". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  18. SC, Nashville. "Nashville Soccer Club Announces 2021 Roster Decisions". Nashville SC.
  19. "Columbus Crew signs free agent defender Jalil Anibaba | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  20. Alao, Olusola (November 20, 2019). "Jalil Anibaba joins MLS newest club Nashville SC". Score Nigeria. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  21. "Anibaba brothers take on Chicago". davisenterprise.com. McNaughton Newspapers. July 26, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  22. "Josh Reese Profile - UC Davis Official Athletic Site - Football". ucdavisaggies.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012.
  23. Jalil Anibaba at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  24. "Jalil Anibaba | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
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