Sola Abolaji

Sola Abolaji

Personal information
Full name	Oluwanisola Abolaji
Date of birth	(1985-03-27) March 27, 1985
Place of birth	Carbondale, Illinois, United States
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Defender/Midfielder
Youth career
2003	Barton Cougars
2004	Northern Oklahoma Mavericks
2005–2006	Buffalo Bulls
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2006	Boulder Rapids Reserve	30	(0)
2007	Carolina RailHawks	17	(0)
2007	Vancouver Whitecaps	10	(0)
2008	Colorado Rapids U23's	18	(0)
2009–	Thunder Bay Chill	25	(0)
2010	Enkoping Sk
2011	Ullensaker/Kisa IL
2013	LFK Lammhult
2014	Myresjö/Vetlanda FK
2015	Ventura County Fusion
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 June 2009.

Oluwanisola "Sola" Abolaji (born March 27, 1985) is an American soccer player who last played for the Ventura County Fusion, most notably in their 2015 U.S. Open Cup victory over the L.A. Galaxy-II.

Career

College and Amateur

Abolaji attended Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colorado^[1] and played college soccer at Barton County Community College in Kansas, where he was named to the NJCAA Region VI All-Region second team in 2003. He transferred to Northern Oklahoma College in 2004, where he was named the team's defensive MVP and helped lead the Mavericks to the NJCAA Region II championship. He then transferred again, to the University at Buffalo, where he spent his junior and senior years. He played 18 games for the Bulls his senior year, scoring two goals and one assist, the helper coming on the game-winning goal in the Bulls' upset win over 19th-ranked Northern Illinois.

While in college, Abolaji also played for Colorado Rapids U23's in the USL Premier Development League.

Professional

Abolaji was the first overall selection in the 2007 USL-1 Draft by the Carolina RailHawks,^[2] making him the first athlete from the University of Buffalo to be drafted first overall in any professional sports draft. Having played just 10 games for the RailHawks, Abolaji was traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for Joel John Bailey on July 29, 2007,^[3] but later left the team after a coaching change.

After a few years playing in the lower tiers of the American soccer pyramid, he transitioned to Scandinavia where he played with several teams. In 2015 he returned to the United States and was a long-term trialist with the Chicago Fire and the Sacremento Republic, featuring in games against the San Jose Earthquakes. He joined the Ventura County Fusion, where he featured prominently in their 2nd Round U.S. Open Cup win over the L.A. Galaxy.^[4] In January 2016 he returned to Scandinavia.

Personal

His parents are of Nigerian origin.^[5] His name "Oluwanisola" means "God creates Wealth" in Yoruba.^[6]

References