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Ivan Gazidis welcomes Abdus Ibrahim to MLS. (Michael Hickey/WireImage.com )Photo : FC Dallas

At 15, soccer standout turns pro
The former Richfield High forward is the second-youngest player ever taken in MLS draft.

By Roman Augustoviz, Star Tribune
Abdusalam Ibrahim, 15, is not a well-known name in the soccer world, but that could change in a few years.

On Friday, the former Richfield High School standout was the 14th player taken in the Major League Soccer draft in Indianapolis by FC Dallas. “I think he is a great talent, with a wonderful, exciting future,” said Steve Morrow, the coach of FC Dallas, which took him in the second round.

Ibrahim actually signed an MLS contract on Jan. 1; he said it was for six figures. Mike Harris, his high school coach, said it was a five-year, $100,000-a-year deal.

The money will come from a program called Generation Adidas.

“It’s a type of contract for young players we have identified as ones we want to nurture,” said Evan Wiener, public relations manager for Adidas America, “and ones we feel have the potential to become icons for the league and U.S. soccer.”

There were eight GenA players in this draft.

Ibrahim, who was born in August 1991 in Ethiopia, is the second-youngest player taken in the 12-year history of the MLS draft. Freddy Adu was 14 in 2004.

“It was a dream of mine to be a pro soccer player,” said Ibrahim.

Of his contract, he said: “I’m going to help my family and save some money. In soccer, you never know what is going to happen.”

In the fall of 2005, Ibrahim led Richfield to the Classic Suburban Conference title, then followed his soccer dreams.

In January 2006, he moved to Bradenton, Fla., after being selected to join the under-17 U.S. national team that trains there.

“I knew about him for some time,” Morrow said, “and went down to Bradenton to see him play a couple times. … He definitely has the potential to be a big star.”

Harris always knew Ibrahim was special: “He’s the whole package. He’s got speed, agility, he’s driven and he’s a humble athlete. He never was a ballhog. … And his work ethic was second to none. [Soccer] was all he wanted to do.”

Ibrahim, whose parents, three brothers and a sister still live in the Twin Cities, started playing soccer at about age 5 in Ethiopia. “We’d play pickup games in the street,” he said. “… We’d make our own balls out of plastic. They were smaller, but we learned on those kind of balls.”

After other family members arrived in Minnesota first, Ibrahim followed in 2003.

When he joined the Richfield varsity team, Ibrahim was maybe 5 foot 3, 90 pounds and only 12, Harris said, but was placed in the ninth grade because of an age mixup.

“I was little until I moved to Florida,” said Ibrahim, who now stands 6 foot 1 and weighs 165 pounds.

He will graduate from high school at Edison Academy Center in Bradenton in May, and then will split time between the FC Dallas developmental team and his U.S. team, which plays in the under-17 FIFA World Cup starting Aug. 18 in South Korea.

Morrow said Ibrahim, a forward, will get to train with FC Dallas’ first-team roster.

“We think he will progress quickly,” Morrow said. “He’ll get to play some this season and could be a full-time player in two years.

“He’s got the all-around ability and talent, the right character and attitude. It was not much of a risk” drafting him.

Abdus (Abdusalam) Ibrahim
Position: Forward
Height 6'1
Weight 165 Lb
Hometown Richfield, Minnesota USA (Born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia)
Age 15
Pick 14 (First in Round 2)
Team FC Dallas

Source: MLS Super Draft

Congratulations Abdusalam from all of us at nazret.com

The wild card might be 15-year-old Minnesota high school forward Abdus Ibrahim, an Ethiopian national who trained with the Crew in September.

Read Complete Story here

Abdus Ibrahim, forward, U.S. U-17* -- Ibrahim is the youngest prospect in the pool at only 15. A lanky young forward/midfielder, he sill needs to grow into his body and put on some muscle mass or he will get pushed around in MLS, as he did at the combine. He may need a few years to mature and has been compared to Quavas Kirk, currently with the L.A. Galaxy. Ibrahim could fall to the second round.

Source: ESPN

About Abdusalam Ibrahim
Born in Dire Dawa Ethiopia

Hometown: Richfield, Minn.
Club: Wing Nationals

U.S. National Teams: Joined U.S. Soccer’s Residency Program in January 2006 … U.S. Under-17s: The youngest player in Residency at the start of 2006, he was just one of three players born in 1991 to join the Residency Program that semester … Has played with the U-17 ‘89s and ‘90s … Under-15s: Played with the Under-15s at the 2005 Nike Friendlies …

High School / Club: Attended Richfield High School in Richfield, Minn. … Played club soccer with the Wing Nationals … Was named MVP

Personal: Full name is Abdusalam Abas Ibrahim … Was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia … Moved to the U.S. when he was 11 years old … Parents are Hassan and Fatum … Both of his parents were born in Ethiopia … Has four brothers and one sister … One plays with the Wing Nationals … Also played football in high school … First memory of soccer was reading about the game and it’s passion … Best memory was scoring four goals in one game … Ultimate goal in soccer is to pull off a bicycle kick in a game.

My Favorites
U.S. MNT player: Eddie Johnson
Other national team player: Thierry Henry
Soccer team: Arsenal
Type of music: Rap
Movie: Coming to America
TV show: Fox Sport
Nicknames: Ibee
Thing you can’t live without: Food and water

Source: USSOCCER.com

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