Ajeej Sarkaria
| 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) | ||
| 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) |
| 2014–2015 | SV Wehen Wiesbaden | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | Fränsta IK | 8 | (6) |
| 2015–2016 | Vasalunds IF | ||
| 2019 | FC Edmonton | 10 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2019 | |||
Ajeej Sarkaria (born 7 February 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who last played for FC Edmonton as a forward.
Club career
[edit]Early career
[edit]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] In Europe, he joined German organization SV Wehen Wiesbaden and Swedish club Vasalunds IF,[4] as well as briefly for Swedish lower division sixth tier side Fränsta IK,[5] where he scored six goals in eight matches.[6][7] While in Germany, as an 18 year old, he played with the U23 side, but also tore his MCL.[8]
Calgary Foothills
[edit]In 2016, Sarkaria played for USL Premier Development League side Calgary Foothills, making twelve league appearances and adding another five in the playoffs.[9] The following year, he made another thirteen league appearances, scoring one goal, and made another appearance in the playoffs.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12] In 2016, he was named the Canada West Player of the Year and in 2018, Sarkaria set the new all-time Canada West scoring record for career points.[8]
FC Edmonton
[edit]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.[12] On 13 December 2018, he signed with Edmonton ahead of the club's inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League.[13] On 18 May 2019, Sarkaria made his professional debut as a starter in the Al Classico derby against Cavalry FC.[14] On November 4 Edmonton announced they were parting ways with Sarkaria following the end of the season.[15]
Honours
[edit]University of Alberta
- U Sports men's soccer Championship: 2016
Calgary Foothills
References
[edit]- ^ 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". LinkedIn.
- ^ "Jumbon med två nya kana-dicker gav serieledarna full huggning" [Jumbo with two new Canadians gave the league leaders full chopping]. LocalFotbollen (in Swedish). August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Danne Johansson bästa målskytten i Medelpadsallsvenskan på många år" [Danne Johansson the best goal scorer in the Medelpadsallsvenskan for many years]. LokalFotbollen (in Swedish).
- ^ "Statistik - Division 4 Herrar" [Statistics - Division 4 Men]. Storfors FF (in Swedish).
- ^ a b "Ajeej Sarkaria". The People of Sports. January 9, 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.
- ^ a b "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.
External links
[edit]- Ajeej Sarkaria at Soccerway
- 1995 births
- Living people
- Men's association football forwards
- Canadian men's soccer players
- Soccer players from Edmonton
- Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- FC Edmonton draft picks
- FC Edmonton players
- Calgary Foothills FC players
- Alberta Golden Bears players
- USL League Two players
- Canadian Premier League players
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen