Mohamed Farsi

Mohamed Farsi (born 16 December 1999) is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.

Mohamed Farsi
Farsi with the Columbus Crew in 2023
Personal information
Full name Mohamed Farsi
Date of birth (1999-12-16) 16 December 1999
Place of birth Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Columbus Crew
Number 23
Youth career
2008-2013 CS Boucaniers
2013–2014 CS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
2015–2016 CS Panellinios
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Collège Ahuntsic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 CS Longueuil 13 (0)
2019 AS Blainville 9 (0)
2019–2020 AS Aïn M'lila 0 (0)
2020–2021 Cavalry FC 35 (2)
2022 Columbus Crew 2 18 (2)
2022 → Columbus Crew (loan) 2 (0)
2022– Columbus Crew 36 (0)
International career‡
2020 Canada Futsal 2 (1)
2021 Canada U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 01:42, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2021

Early life

Farsi was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, to Algerian parents from Oran.[1][2][3] He began playing soccer at age eight with local club CS Boucaniers.[1][4] He later played youth soccer for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and CS Panellinios,[5] eventually playing at the senior amateur level in the LSEQ with Panellinios's senior team.[6]

Club career

College and semi-pro

In 2017, Farsi played college soccer for Collège Ahuntsic, winning the provincial championship and being named to the all-star team.[7][8][9]

In 2018, Farsi signed with Première Ligue de soccer du Québec side Longueuil, making thirteen league appearances that season.[6]

In 2019, Farsi switched to defending PLSQ champions Blainville, making nine league appearances and two appearances in the Canadian Championship against Canadian Premier League side York9.[10]

Aïn M'lila

In 2019, Farsi signed his first professional contract with Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 side AS Aïn M'lila.[2] He left after the season, without making an appearance.[11]

Cavalry FC

On 15 April 2020, Farsi signed with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC,[3] after impressing during a trial.[12] He made his debut as a substitute in Cavalry's first game of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season, a 2–2 draw with Forge FC.[13] Farsi would excel during the 2020 season, earning praise for his offensive and defensive efforts, and would be named for the league's U-21 player of the year.[14][15] He was awarded the El Jimador Shot of the Year, for his goal against Pacific FC on September 9, 2020.[16][17] In November 2020, Farsi would re-sign with the club for the 2021 season.[18] After the 2021 season, Cavalry announced that Farsi would leave the club in order to pursue a contract in Europe or Major League Soccer.[19][20]

Columbus Crew

In March 2022, Columbus Crew 2 of MLS Next Pro announced they had signed Farsi ahead of their inaugural season.[21][22] He made his debut in the club's first match against Inter Miami CF II on March 26.[23] On June 18, he signed a short-term loan with the Columbus Crew first team in Major League Soccer for their match against Charlotte FC, in which he appeared as a substitute.[24][25] At the end of the season, he was named to the MLS Next Pro Best XI.[26]

In July 2022, he signed a first team contract with the Columbus Crew,[27] and would end up appearing in seven games, all of them as second half substitutions.[28]

Farsi scored his first goal for Columbus on April 26, 2023 in a U.S. Open Cup match against Indy Eleven.[29]

International career

Youth and Futsal

Before starting his professional career, Farsi was a prominent member of the Canadian futsal team, winning the Canadian Futsal Player of the Year award for 2020.[30][31] He would go on to be involved in the 2020 Olympic football qualifiers with the Canada under-23s after initially being named a back up to the team.[32]

Senior

Eligible for both Algeria and Canada, Farsi confirmed he had declined an invitation to Canada's preliminary rosters ahead of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals and the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, adding that he was not ready to decide his international future.[33]

Style of play

Farsi is a versatile and dynamic player, known for his technical ability, quick pace, and attacking mindset. He primarily plays as a wing-back but is also proficient in central defense and midfield positions. His ability to contribute both defensively and offensively makes him a valuable asset on the pitch. Farsi excels in creating scoring opportunities with accurate crosses and his quick, aggressive movements up the field. He describes himself as "someone who enjoys getting forward, running at players, and dribbling in one-on-one situations".[34][35][36][37][38][39]

Personal life

Farsi is multilingual, fluent in English, French, and Arabic. Growing up, he participated in soccer, futsal, as well as taekwondo. He is a fan of Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona and Manchester City.[37][40][41][42]

Career statistics
As of October 21, 2023[6][43]
Club statistics
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
CS Longueuil 2018 PLSQ 130——10140
AS Blainville 2019 PLSQ 90—2000110
AS Aïn M'lila 2019–20 Ligue Professionnelle 1 00—00—00
Cavalry FC 2020 CPL 101———101
2021 2511020—281
Total 352102000382
Columbus Crew 2 2022 MLS Next Pro 18210——192
Columbus Crew (loan) 2022 MLS 2000——20
Columbus Crew 5000——50
2023 310003130371
Total 380003130441
Career total 11342071401265

    Honours

    Individual
    • Canadian Premier League Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year: 2020

    References
    1. "Mohamed Farsi". Canadian Soccer Association. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
    2. Walid Ziani (23 August 2019). "Mohamed Farsi (AS Ain M'lila) : "L'Algérie, une belle opportunité"" (in French). DZ Foot. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
    3. "Cavalry FC signs former PLSQ standout fullback Mohamed Farsi". Canadian Premier League. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
    4. Smith, Chris (August 23, 2020). "Cavalry Right-Back Mohamed Farsi Illustrates Importance Of Canadian Premier League". World Football Index.
    5. "Mohamed Farsi". Obelisq (in French).
    6. "PTS-Ligue Archive" (in French). TSI Sports. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
    7. "Mohamed Farsi, ancien joueur de soccer du Collège, repêché par le Cavalry FC de Calgary". Collège Ahuntsic (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
    8. "Site officiel des calendriers, classements et statistiques du RSEQ". Site officiel des calendriers, classements et statistiques du RSEQ (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
    9. "Site officiel des calendriers, classements et statistiques du RSEQ". Site officiel des calendriers, classements et statistiques du RSEQ (in French). 2023-04-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
    10. Jacques, John (April 15, 2020). "Cavalry FC Signs Full-Back Mohamed Farsi". Northern Tribune.
    11. Tremblay, Olivier (27 November 2020). "Mohamed Farsi se donne les moyens de ses ambitions" [Mohamed Farsi gives himself the means to achieve his ambitions]. Ici Radio-Canada Télé (in French).
    12. "How Cavalry's Mo Farsi became one of CPL's brightest young stars". Canadian Premier League. December 4, 2020.
    13. Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (2020-08-14). "Island Introspections: Forge vs Cavalry set tone for CPL 'Island Games' tournament in opening day clash". Between The Sticks. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
    14. Saelhof, Todd (August 23, 2020). "Farsi finds breakthrough Mo-mentum with Cavalry". Calgary Sun.
    15. "Canadian Premier League announces player of the year finalists". CBC Sports. September 18, 2020.
    16. Jacques, John (January 15, 2022). "Ohio Hopeful: Farsi Set To Sign With Crew 2". Northern Tribune.
    17. Saelhof, Todd (January 15, 2022). "Mo Farsi departs Cavalry, scores spot with MLS' Crew 2". Calgary Sun.
    18. "Three Young Canadian Players Re-sign with Cavalry FC". Cavalry FC. November 13, 2020.
    19. Charlie O'Connor-Clarke (November 25, 2021). "Cavalry FC announce departure of six players including Farsi, Yao". Canadian Premier League.
    20. Jacques, John (November 25, 2021). "Farsi Headlines Six Cavalry Departures". Northern Tribune.
    21. "Columbus Crew 2 signs three players". Columbus Crew. March 18, 2022.
    22. Jacques, John (March 18, 2022). "Crew 2 Welcomes Mohamed Farsi". Northern Tribune.
    23. Columbus Crew 2 [@ColumbusCrew2] (March 26, 2022). "Our Inaugural Starting XI vs. Inter Miami CF II" (Tweet). Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Twitter.
    24. Weisbarth, Devin (June 22, 2022). "Crew 2's Jacen Russell-Rowe, Mo Faris make first-team debut". Massive Report.
    25. Jacques, John (June 19, 2022). "Impressing In MLS NEXT Pro, Farsi Makes MLS Debut". Northern Tribune.
    26. Henry Jr, Larry (September 23, 2022). "MLS NEXT Pro 2022 Best XI". MLS Next Pro.
    27. Myers, Jacob (July 22, 2022). "Columbus Crew sign Canadian defender Mo Farsi from Crew 2". The Columbus Dispatch.
    28. "Mohamed Farsi 2022 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
    29. "2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Farsi's late winner sends Columbus Crew past Indy Eleven". thecup.us. 2023-04-29. Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
    30. "Mohamed Farsi named Canadian Futsal Player of the Year". Canadian Soccer Association. November 30, 2020.
    31. "Mo Farsi adds to trophy cabinet, wins Canadian Futsal Player of the Year Award". Toronto Star. November 30, 2020.
    32. Molinaro, John (19 March 2021). "CPLers Farsi, Abzi added to Canada's Olympic qualifying team". Canadian Premier League.
    33. Abdeli, Yanni (May 29, 2023). "Mohamed Farsi: "J'ai refusé le Canada et la CAN 2023 avec l'Algérie pourrait être un objectif !"". La Gazette du Fennec.
    34. "Mohamed Farsi attracting interest from MLS & Europe following Cavalry FC departure". 90min.com. 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    35. "Montreal's Farsi brings futsal talent to Cavalry". calgarysun. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    36. "Farsi Reaches MLS Heights With Columbus Crew". Northern Tribune. 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    37. "Mo Farsi departs Cavalry, scores spot with MLS' Crew 2". calgarysun. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    38. "Mohamed Farsi : Du futsal à la PLC". RDS.ca (in French). 2020-08-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
    39. "How Cavalry's Mo Farsi became one of CPL's brightest young stars". Cavalry FC. 2020-12-05. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
    40. "Profile - Canada Soccer". 2022-10-30. Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    41. lookcharms (2022-03-24). "A Quebecer in the bosom of the Columbus Crew". US Sports (in French). Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    42. "Mohamed Farsi : "Lifting a trophy at the end of the season"". Just e-Soccer (in French). 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
    43. Mohamed Farsi at Soccerway
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