Brian Ombiji (born August 17, 1982) is a retired

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Career

College

Ombiji attended Mother of Apostles Seminary for high school, and played for Kenyan club

AFC Leopards Abaluhya Football Club Leopards Sports Club, officially abbreviated as AFC Leopards, is a Kenyan professional football club based in Nairobi. It currently competes in the Kenyan Premier League, the top tier of the Kenyan football league syst ...

, before moving from his native Kenya to the United States in 2003 to attend and play

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

Lindsey Wilson College Lindsey Wilson College is a private, United Methodist-related college in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 as a training school, the college now offers in-person and online degree programs, offered at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and ...

. While with the Blue Raiders he earned three All-Conference First Team selections, two NAIA All-Region First Team nods, the NAIA Region XI Player of the Year Award in 2004, and a spot on the NAIA All-Tournament First Team in 2005. In 2004, he was named both the Mid-South Conference and NAIA Region XI Player of the Year, and was an NAIA First Team All-American in 2004 and 2005. He finished his college career having scored 35 goals in 95 games. During his college years Ombiji also played with the

Michigan Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, playing in Saginaw, and began playing in 1996. In ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

Professional

Ombiji turned professional in 2007 when he joined the

Harrisburg City Islanders Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...

of the

USL pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

. He was a major contributor on Harrisburg's 2007 Championship team, scoring 10 goals in his two seasons with the club, recording five game-winning goals, and receiving an All-League Second Team selection in 2007. After a year away from professional soccer in 2009, Ombiji returned to play with the Islanders again in 2010. He re-signed with Harrisburg for 2011 on April 7, 2011.

References

External links

Harrisburg City Islanders bio

2008 Harrisburg City Islanders featured players
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ombiji, Brian 1982 births Living people Kenyan men's footballers USL League Two players USL Second Division players USL Championship players Penn FC players A.F.C. Leopards players Flint City Bucks players Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Sportspeople from Eldoret 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen