Bakary Soumaré

Bakary Soumaré (born 9 November 1985) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played professionally in the United States, France, Germany and Canada, and earned twelve caps for the Mali national team.

Bakary Soumaré
Soumaré with Chicago Fire in December 2008
Personal information
Date of birth (1985-11-09) 9 November 1985
Place of birth Bamako, Mali
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
2002–2005 La Salle Cardinals
2005–2006 Virginia Cavaliers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Chicago Fire 63 (0)
2009–2012 Boulogne 67 (2)
2012 → Karlsruher SC (loan) 7 (0)
2012–2013 Philadelphia Union 4 (0)
2013–2014 Chicago Fire 48 (1)
2015 Montreal Impact 10 (0)
2015 FC Dallas 0 (0)
Total 199 (3)
National team
2009–2010 Mali 12 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born in Bamako, Mali, Soumaré moved as a two-year-old to France with this family, growing up in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. At sixteen he left France for New York City where he attended the Catholic high school La Salle Academy for four years, eventually earning a degree. Through an athletic scholarship he was then able to go to the University of Virginia where he stayed for three semesters until he was drafted into MLS.[1][2][3]

Club career

Chicago Fire

Soumaré was drafted 2nd overall by the Chicago Fire in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.[4] After appearing on a substitute bench several times, Soumaré made his debut, coming on for Brian Plotkin, in a 0–0 draw against Real Salt Lake on 27 May 2007; on 1 July 2007, Soumaré received a straight red card for a violent conduct in a 0–0 draw against Colorado Rapids.

He since established himself in the first team. During the 2008 season, Soumaré scored an own goal against the team, which he played his first game against, in a 1–1 draw on the opening game of the season. Despite this, he was later nominated for the MLS Defender of the Year award, alongside Jimmy Conrad and eventual winner Chad Marshall.[5] On 31 May 2009, Soumaré's aggressive on-field play continued as he received a red card after a second bookable offence in a 3–0 loss against Dallas. In August 2009, Soumaré was fined for being involved in a fight with manager Denis Hamlett during the half-time interval of their game against Houston Dynamo.[6]

France

In August 2009, Soumaré joined French club US Boulogne on a four-year contract, for a reported fee of $2.200.000[7] Soumaré made his debut for the club on 19 August 2009, in a 2–0 loss against Ligue 1 champion Bordeaux. On 20 March 2010, Soumaré received a straight red card in a 3–0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain. At the end of the season Boulogne was relegated to Ligue 2 while Soumaré was promoted as captain ahead of the new season.[8] Soumaré scored his first goal of his career in a 1–0 win over Reims on 29 October 2010; his second came on his last game of the season in a 3–2 win over Tours on 22 April 2011. A clause in his contract allowed him to go on a loan when Boulogne got relegated. Boulogne loaned Soumaré out for a fee of €500,000.[9] In total, Soumaré made 65 league appearances for Boulogne.[10]

Germany

In January 2012, Soumaré signed for German club Karlsruher SC on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season, having previously linked with 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf and Ingolstadt 04.[11][12] Soumaré made his debut on 5 February in a 2–1 win over Erzgebirge Aue. However, his season got cut short due to a knee injury.[13]

Philadelphia Union

Soumaré returned to Major League Soccer when he signed with Philadelphia Union on 26 June 2012.[14] Philadelphia traded with Vancouver Whitecaps FC to move up in the MLS Allocation Order and gain the right to sign Soumaré. Bakary made his first return in MLS since leaving Chicago Fire, in a 3–1 loss against his former club on 13 August 2012. In September 2012 he had an exploratory follow-up to the major knee surgery he underwent in April 2012.[15]

Return to Chicago

After playing back-to-back games against his old club, Philadelphia traded Soumaré back to Chicago Fire on 23 May 2013 in exchange for allocation money and a second-round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.[16]

Montreal Impact

Soumaré's second stint in Chicago was not as successful as his first and the club declined his 2015 contract option at the conclusion of the 2014 season. In December 2014, Soumaré entered the 2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft and was selected in stage two by Montreal Impact.[17] He officially signed with the Impact on 6 January 2015.[18] He asked to leave the club in July 2015.[19]

FC Dallas

In July 2015, Soumaré was traded to FC Dallas in exchange for Kyle Bekker.[20]

International

Soumaré had expressed a desire to represent the United States at international level once he would become an American citizen. At the time of the announcement, he believed he would have his citizenship by sometime in 2009.[4] After that was not possible, Soumaré declared himself for Mali, making his debut in 2009. In the Africa Cup of Nations, Soumaré was in a squad and made two appearances, playing 90 minutes and receiving a yellow card, resulting in a miss for one game.

Personal life

Soumaré is a triple citizen of Mali, France and the United States.[21][22]

Career statistics

Club
Sources:[23][24][25]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chicago Fire2007Major League Soccer1901010–210
20082802030–330
20091601000–170
Total 630404000710
Boulogne2009–10Ligue 12002010–230
2010–11Ligue 23122040–372
2011–121600010–170
Total 672406000772
Karlsruher SC (loan)2011–122. Bundesliga700000–70
Philadelphia Union2012Major League Soccer100000–10
201330–––30
Total 4000000040
Chicago Fire2013Major League Soccer22040––260
201426040––300
Total 480800000560
Montreal Impact2015Major League Soccer10000–60160
FC Dallas2015Major League Soccer00–00–00
Career total 1992160100602312

References
  1. "Football : Bakary Soumare vise le titre avec Chicago" [Football: Bakary Soumare for the Title With Chicago] (in French). france-amerique.com. 7 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016.
  2. "What Ever Happened To ... Bakary Soumare". MLS Soccer. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  3. "Bakary Soumare". Virginia Sports. Archived from the original on 2 November 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  4. Ives Galarcep (3 November 2008). "Bakary Soumare will play for Mali". SoccerByIves.net. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  5. Allan Ramsay (6 November 2008). "Columbus' Marshall wins MLS Defender of the Year". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. Ives Galarcep (15 August 2009). "Chicago Fire to fine Hamlett and Soumare for locker-room fight". SoccerByIves.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  7. Ives Galarcep (24 August 2009). "Bakary Soumare sold to French club Boulogne". SoccerByIves.net. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  8. Nick Firchau (10 February 2012). "What Ever Happened To ... Bakary Soumare". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  9. "Boulogne B.Soumaré tracked in Germany (in French:Boulogne : B.Soumaré pisté en Allemagne)" (in French). Football365. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  10. Bakary Soumaré – French league stats at LFP (also available in French)
  11. "Official: Bakary Soumare transferred to Karlsruhe on a loan". Soccer Fame. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  12. "KSC: Bakary Soumaré already in the approach (in German:" (in German). Ka-News.de. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  13. "Bakary Soumare Will Miss the Rest of the Season: MLS Fan View". Yahoo! Eurosport. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  14. "Union sign central defender Bakary Soumare". Philadelphia Union. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  15. "Union playing it safe as Soumare undergoes minor surgery". MLS Soccer. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  16. "Philadelphia Union make it official, deal Bakary Soumare back to Chicago Fire". 23 May 2013.
  17. "News".
  18. "Defender Bakary Soumare under contract with the Impact". 6 January 2015.
  19. "Unhappy with lack of playing time, defender Bakary Soumare asks to leave Montreal Impact". 15 July 2015.
  20. "Montreal Impact trade Bakary Soumare to FC Dallas in exchange for Canadian international Kyle Bekker". 16 July 2015.
  21. "What Ever Happened To ... Bakary Soumare". 10 February 2012.
  22. "Bakary Soumare sold to French club Boulogne". sbisoccer.com. 24 August 2009. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016.
  23. "Bakary Soumare".
  24. Bakary Soumaré at Soccerway
  25. Bakary Soumaré at National-Football-Teams.com
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