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Amirah Ali
Ali with the San Diego Wave in 2022
Personal information
Full name Amirah Iman Ali[1]
Date of birth (1998-12-07) December 7, 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth Voorhees Township, New Jersey
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Forward, Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 San Diego Wave
Number 7
Youth career
Winslow Tigers
Players Development Academy
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 103 (44)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– San Diego Wave 34 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 15, 2024

Amirah Iman Ali (born December 7, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward or midfielder for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Youth career

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Ali, born in Voorhees Township and raised in Winslow Township, New Jersey, played youth soccer for the Winslow Tigers, a New Jersey–based travel team coached by Rich King, the father of NWSL player Tziarra King.[2][3] In Ali’s later youth years, she joined Players Development Academy of the Elite Clubs National League prior to going to Rutgers University.[4][5]

Ali played high school soccer for Eastern Regional High School in her hometown of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where she was named High School Girls' Player of the Year by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the Courier-Post, and the United Soccer Coaches.[3] She finished her high school career with 99 goals and 51 assists.[6][7]

College career

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Amirah played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 2017 to 2021, primarily as a forward or attacking midfielder. The Scarlet Knights won their first-ever Big Ten Conference championship in 2021 with Ali on the squad, and she was on the shortlist for the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019, 2020, and 2021.[2]

Portland Thorns FC drafted Ali with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, despite her decision not to declare for the draft. Thorns coach Mark Parsons suggested Ali was capable of playing immediately for an NWSL club.[8] She instead returned to Rutgers to complete her collegiate career, leading Rutgers to the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament – the program's first appearance since 2015 – and the Scarlet Knights finished as semi-finalists.[2]

Amirah finished her Rutgers career with 44 goals, 17 of them match-winners, and 19 assists. She scored nine career golden goals, a Rutgers record, and played 6,309 minutes across 103 matches, 102 of them as a starter. Ali finished her career at Rutgers as the program's only four-time all-American.[5] She was a team captain in 2019, 2020, and 2021.[9]

Club career

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San Diego Wave FC

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Portland traded the NWSL player rights to Ali, as well as defender Christen Westphal, to San Diego Wave in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money on December 16, 2021.[10] Ali scored her first professional goal on April 2, 2022, during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup against Angel City FC.[11]

International career

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Ali played for the United States under-19 national team and was invited to U14, U18, and U19 camps.[5]

Honors

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San Diego Wave

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

  • All-Big Ten Team (third team 2017; first team 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • All-American Team (second team 2018; first team 2019, 2020; third team 2021)
  • NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team (2021)
  • MAC Hermann Trophy candidate (2021) and semi-finalist (2020)

References

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  1. ^ Dowd, Kristen (June 26, 2017). "Eastern Regional High School Class of 2017". The Berlin (N.J.) Sun. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Tonelli, Jenna (January 18, 2022). "Rutgers Standout Amirah Ali to Join San Diego Wave FC". Jersey Sporting News. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Tannenwald, Jonathan (June 18, 2022). "Voorhees' Amirah Ali returns to New Jersey for the first time as a NWSL rookie". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "ECNL ALUMS LIGHT UP POWER 5 CONFERENCES IN 2019". Elite Clubs National League. November 25, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Amirah Ali". Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Kates, Jason (December 8, 2016). "GIRLS' SOCCER: Ali repeats as Player of the Year". Courier-Post. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Amirah Ali". nj.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  8. ^ Little, Grant (January 17, 2021). "Meet The Draftees: Amirah Ali". Stumptown Footy. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "Amirah Ali". San Diego Wave FC. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Odom, Joel (December 16, 2021). "Portland Thorns trade Christen Westphal, Amirah Ali to San Diego Wave FC for allocation money". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "San Diego Wave vs. Angel City 4-2". Soccerway. April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "San Diego Wave claim 2023 NWSL Shield". CONCACAF. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  13. ^ "San Diego Wave FC Defeat 1-0 NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2024 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup". March 16, 2024.
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