Molham Babouli

Molham "Mo" Babouli (Arabic: مُلهَم بَابُولِيّ; born January 2, 1993) is a professional footballer who plays for York United of the Canadian Premier League. Born in the United Arab Emirates, he represented Canada at youth level and currently represents the Syria national team.

Molham Babouli
Babouli in 2014
Personal information
Full name Molham Babouli
Date of birth (1993-01-02) January 2, 1993
Place of birth Al Ain, United Arab Emirates[1]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 York United
Number 18
Youth career
Mississauga SC[2]
2006-? Dixie SC
2014 Toronto FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 GPC Jaguars
2013–2014 Sheridan Bruins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 Toronto FC III 16 (21)
2015 Toronto FC II 20 (4)
2016–2017 Toronto FC 16 (0)
2016 → Toronto FC II (loan) 6 (0)
2017 Sigma FC 6 (5)
2017–2018 Al-Ittihad 25 (7)
2018–2019 Mississauga MetroStars (indoor) 22 (21)
2019 FC Ukraine United 4 (9)
2020–2021 Forge FC 30 (8)
2022 Muaither
2022– York United 27 (11)
International career‡
2015–2016 Canada U23 6 (2)
2022– Syria 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 March 2023

Club career

Toronto FC

Babouli spent time at Sheridan College before joining the TFC Academy in 2014. He played with the senior academy side in the inaugural season of League1 Ontario, where he led the league in scoring with 27 goals in all competitions.[3] TFC Academy would go on to win the regular season title[4] and the Inter-Provincial Cup championship against CS Longueuil, the champions of the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.[5][6] He won the Golden Boot and League MVP honours for the 2014 season.[7]

On March 12, 2015, Babouli signed his first professional contract with Toronto FC II ahead of their inaugural season in the USL.[8] He made his professional debut against the Charleston Battery on March 21, and scored his first goal for the club in the same match.[9] His performance in the match was rewarded with a USL team of the week appearance on March 24.[10]

On March 5, 2016, Babouli signed with Toronto FC.[11] He made his MLS debut against Sporting Kansas City on March 20, as a substitute for Tsubasa Endoh. He returned to Toronto FC II on loan ahead of the 2016 USL season. On April 21, 2017, the club announced that Babouli had been placed on waivers.[12]

Sigma FC

Babouli signed with Sigma following his release from TFC. He scored a goal in his debut against Aurora on July 8, 2017.[13]

Al-Ittihad

In September 2017, Babouli joined Syrian club Al-Ittihad of the Syrian Premier League.[14] They finished in second place in the 2017–18 season, after losing a tie-breaker to Al-Jaish with whom they were level on points.

Mississauga MetroStars

Babouli signed for MASL club Mississauga MetroStars ahead of their inaugural season on November 2, 2018.[15] In his debut season in the MASL he was named the Newcomer of the Year.[16] Babouli was announced as the MetroStars' new team captain ahead of the 2019–20 MASL season.

FC Ukraine United

Babouli played in the Canadian Soccer League for the 2019 season with FC Ukraine United. In his debut match on September 8, 2019 he recorded four goals against Brantford Galaxy.[17] He recorded his second hat-trick on October 1, 2019 against SC Real Mississauga.[18] As a result finished as the club's top goalscorer with nine goals and the league's fourth leading goalscorer, despite only playing four games[18] – Mykola Temniuk led the league with 18 goals in 17 games.[19]

In the opening match of the postseason Babouli scored against Hamilton City SC, and advanced to the next round after a penalty shootout.[20] In the semifinal he contributed another goal in a 5–3 victory against SC Waterloo Region, and advanced to the CSL Championship.[21] He featured in the finals against Scarborough SC, but in a losing effort.[22] In early 2020, he trailed with Canadian Premier League club York United FC.[23]

Forge FC

On August 4, 2020, Canadian Premier League club Forge FC announced the signing of Babouli to a contract.[24] He made his debut for the club as a substitute on August 13 in the 2020 season opener against Cavalry FC.[25] On September 19, Forge defeated HFX Wanderers FC in the 2020 CPL Final to win the league title. Babouli assisted on the game's winning goal and was named Man of the match.[26] Babouli re-signed with Forge for the 2021 Canadian Premier League season.[27] By winning the 2020 season, Forge qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF League. In the preliminary round, Forge faced C.D. FAS, and Babouli scored the winning goal in the first leg that Forge would win 3–1.[28] A 2–2 draw in the second leg meant Forge would advance. In the next round, Forge faced Panamanian club Independiente. After a scoreless first leg, Babouli would again send Forge through to the next round by opening the scoring in a 2–0 victory.[28] In the quarter-finals against Costa Rican club Santos de Guápiles, Forge lost the first leg away 3–1,[28] but Babouli played the hero in the second leg, first assisting Omar Browne's goal, and then scoring himself to give Forge the lead on away goals, though Joshua Navarro would later seal the game for Forge by making it 3–0. This victory sent Forge into the semi-finals and also qualified them for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first ever Canadian Premier league club to do so.[29] Babouli scored 3 goals and contributed 2 assists in the tournament and was honoured in the Team of the Tournament.[30]

Muaither SC

In 2022, Babouli joined Muaither SC in the Qatari Second Division.[31]

York United

In August 2022, Babouli joined York United FC on a contract through the 2024 season.[32][33] He made his debut for his new club on August 14, entering in as a substitute against FC Edmonton.[34] In York's next game on August 20, Babouli scored his first goal against his former club Forge FC in an eventual 3-1 victory.[35]

International career

Babouli was eligible to represent the United Arab Emirates (through birth), Syria (through descent), and Canada (through residency). Babouli made his debut for the Canadian program with the U23 side at the 2015 Pan American Games. He played his first match against Brazil U23 and scored a goal in a 4–1 defeat.[36] Babouli was named to the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship team on September 18, 2015.[37]

In November 2021, he was named to Syria's preliminary squad for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.[38] He made his debut for the team against the country of his birth, United Arab Emirates, in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on January 27, 2022.[39]

Personal life

In April 2018, Babouli was detained by the Syrian Military Police upon obtaining the Syrian Identity Card, due to the fact that each Syrian male has to do the mandatory military service.[40] He was released days later after paying the fee required for the exemption of the military duties.[41]

Career statistics
As of match played October 7, 2023[42]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs[lower-alpha 1] League Cup National Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Toronto FC III 2014 League1 Ontario 1621—66——2227
Toronto FC II 2015 United Soccer League 204————204
Toronto FC 2016 Major League Soccer 16000—40—200
Toronto FC II (loan) 2016 United Soccer League 60————60
Sigma FC 2017 League1 Ontario 75—00——75
Al-Ittihad 2017–18 Syrian Premier League 257——31—288
FC Ukraine United[43] 2019 Canadian Soccer League 4932———711
Forge FC 2020 Canadian Premier League 10110—0041152
2021 Canadian Premier League 21710—10632910
Club total 31820—101044412
Career total 1255452668110415467
  1. Includes MLS Cup, CPL Finals, and CSL Playoffs
  2. Includes Canadian Championship matches.

Honours

Sheridan College

  • CCAA National Championship: 2014

Toronto FC III

Toronto FC

Forge

Individual

References
  1. "Molham Babouli". Canadian Soccer Association.
  2. "Pro: First Youth Registration List" (PDF).
  3. "Scoring leaders (as of October 1, 2014)". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  4. "TFC Academy Triumphs". Toronto FC. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  5. Rollins, Duane (November 3, 2014). "TFCA 4 - CS Longueuil 0". League1 Ontario. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  6. Rollins, Duane (November 9, 2014). "Toronto FC Academy 0 - CS Longueuil 0". League1 Ontario.
  7. "League1 Ontario Awards Banquet 2014". League1 Ontario. November 13, 2014.
  8. "Toronto FC II announces signing of eight players". Toronto FC. March 12, 2015. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  9. Hylton, Kamal (March 21, 2015). "Match Recap: TFC II vs. Charleston". Toronto FC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  10. "Babouli named to USL team of the week". Toronto FC. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  11. "Toronto FC Sign Molham Babouli". Toronto FC. March 5, 2016.
  12. "Toronto FC Waive Mo Babouli". Toronto FC. April 21, 2017.
  13. "Striker talent on display in League1 Ontario goal-fest". Ontario Soccer. July 11, 2017.
  14. Platt, Oliver (September 23, 2017). "Former Toronto FC striker Mo Babouli joins Syrian club Al-Ittihad". Waking The Red.
  15. "Mississauga Metrostars Sign Former Toronto FC Forward Mo Babouli". Mississauga Merostars. November 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  16. Husted, Jeff (May 4, 2019). "MASL Announces Major Individual Postseason Awards - Major Arena Soccer League". MASL. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  17. Adamson, Stan (September 9, 2019). "New Arrival Babouli Strikes Four for Ukraine Utd Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  18. Adamson, Stan (October 1, 2019). "Ukraine Utd End on Winning Note…Hamilton City in playoffs – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  19. "2019 First Division Stats". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  20. Adamson, Stan (October 13, 2019). "Ukraine Utd Defeat Hamilton in Quarterfinals….Playoffs Update – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  21. Adamson, Stan (October 20, 2019). "FC Ukraine United Victory…..Will meet Scarborough in final – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  22. Adamson, Stan (October 26, 2019). "Scarborough on Top…..Vorkuta B wins Second Division Championship – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  23. Jacques, John (February 28, 2020). "York9 FC: 'We Didn't Offer Mo Babouli A Contract'". Northern Tribune.
  24. "Forge FC sign Canadian forward Babouli". August 4, 2020.
  25. Molinaro, John (August 13, 2020). "Injury-time penalty allows Cavalry to draw Forge in CPL season opener".
  26. @CPLsoccer (September 20, 2020). "As voted for by the fans, @ForgeFCHamilton's Mo Babouli is the last @GatoradeCanada Man of the Match" (Tweet). Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
  27. "Forge FC Re-Signs Striker Molham Babouli". Northern Tribune. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  28. "Game Details". Concacaf. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  29. "RECAP: Forge FC advance to SF, qualify for Concacaf Champions League with resounding Leg 2 win vs. Santos". Canadian Premier League. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  30. "Kevin Lopez, Anangono highlight 2021 SCL Team Of The Tournament". CONCACAF. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  31. Jacques, John (January 19, 2022). "Babouli Lands With Qatari Side Muaither SC". Northern Tribune.
  32. Rhodes, Benedict (August 10, 2022). "York United sign Canadian forward Mo Babouli through end of 2024 season". Canadian Premier League.
  33. Jacques, John (August 10, 2022). "Molham Babouli Is A Nine Stripe". Northern Tribune.
  34. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (August 14, 2022). "HIGHLIGHTS: York United take 3 points vs. FC Edmonton after wild ending". Canadian Premier League.
  35. "HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC vs. York United FC (August 20, 2022)". August 20, 2022.
  36. Squizzato, Daniel (July 12, 2015). "Stylish Brazil makes Canadian men suffer in Pan Am football". Canadian Olympic Committee.
  37. "Canada M23 picks players for CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers". Canadian Soccer Association. September 18, 2015.
  38. @SyriaProPlayers (November 17, 2021). "#ملهم_بابولي صانع العاب نادي الكندي متواجد ضمن القائمة الاولية لمنتخبنا بكأس العرب" [The Canadian club playmaker is in the preliminary list of our team in the Arab Cup] (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
  39. "UAE vs Syria (2-0) Jan 27, 2022 Match Stats". January 27, 2022.
  40. "ملهم بابولي.. من كندا إلى نادي الاتحاد إلى الخدمة العسكرية" [Inspired by Baboli.. From Canada to Al Ittihad Club to Military Service]. enab baladi (in Arabic). 19 April 2018.
  41. "النظام السوري يفرج عن لاعب الاتحاد ملهم بابولي" [The Syrian regime releases Al-Ittihad player Molham Baboli]. enab baladi (in Arabic). 21 April 2018.
  42. Molham Babouli at Soccerway
  43. "2019 First Division Stats – Canadian Soccer League". 2019-10-14. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
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