Siad Haji (born December 1, 1999) is a professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes. Born in Kenya and raised in the United States, he represents the Somalia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abdulkadir Haji[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-12-01) December 1, 1999 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Kakuma, Kenya | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | New England Pilgrims | 14 | (9) |
| 2017–2018 | VCU Rams | 35 | (7) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Portland Timbers U23s | 21 | (5) |
| 2019– | San Jose Earthquakes | 14 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Reno 1868 (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2022– | San Jose Earthquakes II | 7 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013–2014 | United States U15 | ||
| 2014–2015 | United States U17 | ||
| 2015–2016 | United States U19 | ||
| 2022– | Somalia | 2 | (0) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 September 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 April 2022 | |||
Haji was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, his parents having fled Somalia.[2] In 2004, they moved to New Hampshire.[2] Haji settled in a refugee community near downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, played youth soccer for the New Hampshire Classics, and was offered a spot on the New England Revolution youth academy's under-16 team. However, the distance and financial logistics made it difficult for him to accept a spot in the academy. He would continue to play for the Classics through high school.[3]
Upon graduating, Haji did not have the eligibility to play in NCAA Division I, so he played for New England College in NCAA Division III during his first year.[3] With the Pilgrims, he scored nine times in fourteen appearances. Between Haji's first and second years, he transferred from New England College to Virginia Commonwealth University where he was a starting midfielder for the VCU Rams men's soccer team, and earned the Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year award in 2018.[4]
Haji played two seasons in USL League Two (then known as the Premier Development League) with the Portland Timbers U23s. He made 21 appearances over the two seasons, scoring five goals.[5]
On January 3, 2019, he signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer and was eligible for the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[6] Haji, by many mock drafts, was considered a top five draft pick,[7][8][9] and some cases, the first overall draft pick.[10][11] He was ultimately drafted second overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes, the highest ever drafted alumnus from VCU.
Ahead of the 2019 USL Championship season, Haji went on loan to Reno 1868. He made his professional debut and his Reno debut on March 16, 2019, in a 2–1 win against Austin Bold, subbing on at halftime for Gilbert Fuentes.[12]
He played for various youth teams for the United States. In 2020, he was called up by the Somalia national team ahead of their first games at home in Mogadishu.[13]
In March 2022, he was called up to the Somalia national team.[14] Haji debuted with Somalia in a 3–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification loss to Eswatini on 23 March 2022.[15]
Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year | |
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| Player of the Year (1987–1999) | |
| Offensive Player of the Year (2000–) |
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| Defensive Player of the Year (2000–) |
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| Midfielder of the Year (2007–) | |
San Jose Earthquakes – current squad | |
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2019 MLS SuperDraft first-round selections | |
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