Ajeej Sarkaria
Ajeej Sarkaria (born 7 February 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who last played for FC Edmonton as a forward.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ajeej Sarkaria | ||
Date of birth | 7 February 1995 | ||
Place of birth | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Edmonton Juventus | |||
2011–2013 | FC Edmonton | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2018 | Alberta Golden Bears | 42 | (37) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013 | FC Edmonton | 0 | (0) |
2016–2018 | Calgary Foothills | 33 | (4) |
2019 | FC Edmonton | 10 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 October 2019 |
Club career
Early career
Sarkaria played youth soccer with Edmonton Juventus before joining local professional club FC Edmonton in 2011.[1] In 2013, Sarkaria signed his first professional contract with Edmonton as a 17 year-old, but failed to make an appearance that season.[2] He subsequently played overseas in Germany and Sweden before returning to Canada in 2016.[3]
Calgary Foothills
In 2016, Sarkaria played for USL Premier Development League side Calgary Foothills, making twelve league appearances and adding another five in the playoffs.[4] The following year, he made another thirteen league appearances, scoring one goal, and made another appearance in the playoffs.[5] In 2018, Sarkaria made eight appearances, scoring three goals, and made another three appearances in the playoffs as the Foothills won the 2018 PDL Championship.[6]
While playing for Calgary in the summer Sarkaria attended the University of Alberta, where he scored 37 goals in 42 appearances for the Golden Bears.[7]
FC Edmonton
In November 2018, Sarkaria was drafted in the second round, 8th overall in the 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft by his former club FC Edmonton.[7] On 13 December 2018, he signed with Edmonton ahead of the club's inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League.[8] On 18 May 2019, Sarkaria made his professional debut as a starter in the Al Classico derby against Cavalry FC.[9] On November 4 Edmonton announced they were parting ways with Sarkaria following the end of the season.[10]
Honours
University of Alberta
- U Sports men's soccer Championship: 2016
Calgary Foothills
References
- Mitch Sorensen (14 November 2016). "Sarkaria leads Bears Soccer youth movement to success". The Gateway. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- Benjamin Massey (15 November 2018). "2018 CanPL – U-Sports Draft Review: The Big One". Maple Leaf Forever. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- Jason Hills (25 August 2017). "Bears striker Ajeej Sarkaria relishes challenge of matching last season's performance". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "Ajeej Sarkaria 2016". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "Ajeej Sarkaria 2017". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "Ajeej Sarkaria 2018". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "FC Edmonton selects trio of Golden Bears in inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "FC Edmonton signs Son Yongchan, Bruno Zebie, Ajeej Sarkaria and Ajay Khabra". Canadian Premier League. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- "A. Sarkaria". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- Khimji, Khassim (November 4, 2019). "FC Edmonton announces the departures of eight players following 2019 CPL season". Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.