Abdul Bilal "Bill" Hamid ( ; born November 25, 1990) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

club

Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...

. Born in

Annandale, Virginia Annandale () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia.D.C. United Academy The D.C. United Academy is the youth system#Youth academies, youth and development program for the Major League Soccer club D.C. United. The program consists of teams at four age levels: the D.C. United U-23, under-23 and under-20 teams, as well ...

player to sign for the first team in September 2009. He made his professional debut in May 2010 as the youngest goalkeeper to win a game in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

history. He helped the team to victory in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup and received the

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, known as the Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award for sponsorship purposes, is an annual Major League Soccer award established in 1996. It is voted on by media, MLS players and club management based on regul ...

in 2014. In January 2018 he joined

FC Midtjylland Football Club Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Superliga, which they ...

, winning the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

in his first season. He returned to D.C. United in August, initially on loan, and totaled 296 appearances (232 league). He was released at the end of the 2022 season, with franchise records of 89 shutouts and 976 saves. Hamid made his senior debut for the United States national team in January 2012, playing eight games up to December 2020. He was part of their teams that won the

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Club career

D.C. United

Hamid became the first

D.C. United Academy The D.C. United Academy is the youth system#Youth academies, youth and development program for the Major League Soccer club D.C. United. The program consists of teams at four age levels: the D.C. United U-23, under-23 and under-20 teams, as well ...

player to sign with the first team on September 2, 2009. Prior to signing with D.C. United, he was linked with a move to

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

, until work permit issues derailed the move. He made his professional debut on May 5, 2010, in a game against the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

. With this win, Hamid became the youngest goalkeeper in MLS history, at 19 years 161 days, to win a regular season game, besting

Tim Howard Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the part-owner of club Dagenham & Redbridge as well as an international ambassador in the United States for Premie ...

's record by four days. Hamid started 28 of United's 34 games during the 2011 season. He retained his starting spot during the 2012 season, making appearances in 27 matches. After the 2011 regular season, Hamid began a 10-day trial on October 29, 2011, with

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

. He stayed with the club until November 7. In 2012, Hamid earned a record 88 saves in arguably his best season in MLS to date. Despite Hamid being sent off with a red card during the 2012 playoffs in a match against the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

, D.C. United was able to come away with a win and advance to the next round. Hamid, emotional after seeing the win, was videotaped shirtless screaming "You can't hold us back" while pounding his chest. The phrase became a rallying cry for D.C. United fans who organized a display featuring the quote. Although D.C. United failed to defeat their next challenger, the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

, the phrase stuck with the fans. For the 2013 season, the D.C. United fan group Screaming Eagles designed a scarf with the quote and presented Hamid with a free one. D.C. United won the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the 100th edition of the competition. Hamid played the final, a 1–0 win at

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

, having been deputized by Joe Willis in previous rounds. In 2014, D.C. United finished top of the Eastern Conference in the regular season, having finished bottom the year before. Hamid won the

Midtjylland

At the end of the 2017 season, Hamid's contract with D.C. United expired as the two sides failed to negotiate a new contract. On October 25, 2017, it was announced that Hamid had signed with

club

Midtjylland The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform. The refo ...

valid from January 1, 2018. He was back-up to Jesper Hansen in his first season, making only one league appearance on April 22 in a 3–3 draw at

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

, in which he made a mistake from a

corner kick A corner kick, commonly known as a corner, is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defe ...

to give the opponents a 3–2 lead. Midtjylland finished the campaign as league champions.

Return to D.C. United

Hamid rejoined D.C. United on August 8, 2018, on a year-and-a-half loan. On December 9, 2019, this was made into a three-year permanent transfer for a reported transfer fee of $750,000. Hamid played 10 games in the

2022 Major League Soccer season The 2022 Major League Soccer season was the 27th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The league had 28 clubs following the addition of Charlotte FC as an expansion team. The ...

, which ended for him with a hand operation in June. During the season, D.C. United signed goalkeepers Rafael Romo, Luis Zamudio and David Ochoa, followed by Tyler Miller at the end of the year. Hamid was allowed to enter free agency, with franchise records of 89 shutouts and 976 saves.

Memphis 901

On March 20, 2023, Hamid joined

club

Memphis 901 Memphis 901 FC was an American professional association football, soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. On November 13, 2024, it was announced that the team would be ...

for the 2023 season. Hamid and Memphis mutually agreed to terminate his contract early on August 18, 2023.

Northern Virginia

Hamid appeared for Northern Virginia FC in their

2024 U.S. Open Cup The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. Houston Dynamo FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 32 by Detroit City FC. L ...

match, a 3–2 loss to Carolina Core.

Virginia Dream

On April 2, 2024, Virginia Dream announced that Hamid would be joining the club as a player and goalkeeping coach for their 2024

United Premier Soccer League The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is an American for-profit soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States, and recently Canada and Mexico. The leagu ...

season.

Maryland Bobcats

On September 3, 2024, Maryland Bobcats announced that Hamid would be joining the club for the remainder of their 2024 season. (Pending

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is previously in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season for ...

and

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer ...

Approval). Since the addition of Hamid, the Maryland Bobcats gone on a 2-game winning streak. Through his first two games with the team, Hamid has registered 2 Clean Sheets in 180 minutes of play. The Maryland Bobcats have since cliched 1st Place in the East Region of

Miami FC

In February 2025, Hamid joined

club

. The move brings him closer to his younger sister Jasmin Hamid, who plays for Fort Lauderdale United in the

USL Super League The USL Super League (USLS), officially known as the Gainbridge Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional women's soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Socce ...

International career

Hamid played for the United States at under-18 and under-20 level, and in October 2009 he trained with the senior team. Hamid made his international debut for U.S. national team on January 21, 2012, keeping a shutout as his team beat

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

1–0 in an

exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

at the

University of Phoenix Stadium State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Sun Devi ...

. He became the ninth goalkeeper not to concede on his international debut for the United States. Coach

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (; born 30 July 1964) is a German professional Association football, football manager and former player. He played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco FC, Monaco, Tottenham Hot ...

named Hamid in his roster for the

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on July 7, 2013, at the ...

, which the United States won. He did not make his second appearance until November 18, 2014, in a 4–1 exhibition loss to the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

in Dublin. Hamid was again called up for the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

, receiving a second winner's medal. On July 15, he played his first competitive match for the United States at

FirstEnergy Stadium Huntington Bank Field is a stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the home field of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), and serves as a venue for other events such as college and high school football, soccer, hockey, and con ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and kept a shutout in a 3–0 win that made his team top their group. On December 30, 2019, Hamid was called up to Gregg Berhalter's 25-man roster for a friendly against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

on February 1, 2020. He played this game for his first international game in over 18 months, a 1–0 win in which he replaced Sean Johnson for the final 14 minutes. On December 9 he played his last of eight internationals, a 6–0 win over

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

Personal life

Hamid's parents are from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. He was raised

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and observes fasting during the Islamic month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. He graduated from

DeMatha Catholic High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washin ...

Hyattsville, Maryland Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is an urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States census. History Before Europeans reached the area, the upper Anacostia ...

in 2006.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

D.C. United * U.S. Open Cup:

Midtjylland *

: 2017–18 United States *

Individual * MLS Goalkeeper of the Year:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamid, Bill 1990 births Living people People from Annandale, Virginia American men's soccer players African-American soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers DeMatha Catholic High School alumni D.C. United players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars FC Midtjylland players Danish Superliga players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Memphis 901 FC players Miami FC players USL Championship players United States men's international soccer players American people of Sierra Leonean descent 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players Soccer players from Fairfax County, Virginia African-American Muslims American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Homegrown Players (MLS) 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Muslims from Virginia Northern Virginia FC players United Premier Soccer League coaches Association football goalkeeping coaches Maryland Bobcats FC players