Sola Abolaji

Oluwanisola "Sola" Abolaji (born March 27, 1985) is an American soccer player.

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(s) 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 Enköpings SK
2011 Ullensaker/Kisa IL
2013 IFK Lammhult
2014 Myresjö/Vetlanda FK
2015 Ventura County Fusion 3 (0)
2017 Orange County SC 5 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:31, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

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 Sacramento 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]

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References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2009-06-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. RailHawks Select Abolaji, Donald in USL Draft
  3. Featured Player: Sola Abolaji Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "LA Galaxy II lose U.S. Open Cup match to Ventura County Fusion in Stoppage Time". L.A. Galaxy. L.A. Galaxy. May 20, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  5. "Featured Player: Sola Abolaji". September 10, 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  6. "Oluwanisola". Nigerian Name. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
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