Kalif Alhassan
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kalif Alhassan | ||
| Date of birth | October 15, 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2010 | Liberty Professionals | ||
| 2010 | Portland Timbers (USL) | 6 | (2) |
| 2011–2014 | Portland Timbers | 93 | (5) |
| 2015 | Minnesota United | 27 | (4) |
| 2016– | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2007 | Ghana U17 | ||
| 2008 | Ghana U20 | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 17, 2016. | |||
Kalif Alhassan (born October 15, 1990 in Accra) is a Ghanaian footballer. He currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Soccer League.
Career
Professional
Alhassan began his career with Ghana Premier League side Liberty Professionals in 2007, helping the club to the semifinals of the 2009 WAFU Club Championship.
In 2010, Alhassan signed with Portland Timbers of the USSF Division 2 Professional League, in hopes of staying with the club in 2011 for their inaugural season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of the United States soccer pyramid.[1] In his first start for the Timbers, Alhassan scored in second-half stoppage time to give Portland a 1–0 victory over Puerto Rico Islanders.[2]
In 2011 Alhassan became the third player in Major League Soccer history to open his career with assists in each of his first three home games, all Timbers wins.[3] He scored his first MLS goal for the Timbers on the opening weekend of the 2012 MLS season, chipping the ball over Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath to seal the Timbers' victory at 3-1. In addition to his goal, Alhassan assisted on another goal and earned the free kick which led to the equalizing goal. For his performance, Alhassan was named Player of the Week for week 1 of the 2012 MLS season, becoming the first Timbers player ever to win the award.[4]
Alhassan played 1,867 minutes in 28 matches in 2015 for Minnesota United FC. On December 17, 2015, Alhassan was released by Minnesota and picked up by the Tampa Bay Rowdies.[5]
International
Alhassan began his international career in 2007 with the Ghana U-17 national team. He debuted with the Ghana U-20 national team in 2008 although he did not make the squad for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, won by Ghana. In May 2008 Alhassan was also called into a camp with the Ghana national team for the 2009 African Nations Championship, again missing out on the final squad.
Personal
Kalif is the son of former Ghana international and two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner George Alhassan.
References
- ↑ "Timbers sign Ghanaian midfielder Kalif Alhassan" (Press release). Portland Timbers. August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Portland 1, Puerto Rico 0: Alhassan's first goal is a winner". The Oregonian. Portland. September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Quotes & Notes: Timbers: 1, Union: 0". Portland Timbers. May 7, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Timbers player named MLS PotW for first time". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ↑ "Tampa Bay Rowdies sign winger Kalif Alhassan". Retrieved 17 December 2015.