Jalil Anibaba (; born October 19, 1988) is an

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

n former 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 last played 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 ...

for

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

. He is currently a club ambassador for

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...

Career

College and amateur

Anibaba was born in

Davis, California Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of ...

where he attended Davis Senior High School, where in his senior season he was the California Gatorade Soccer Player of the year, and played

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 ...

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

for the first three years of his college career. In 2009, Anibaba captained the Broncos, who were selected for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-West Region team. For his senior season he transferred to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, where he won numerous awards, including NSCAA Second Team All-America, NSCAA First Team All-Region, First Team All-ACC, ACC All-Tournament Team and 2007 WCC Freshman of the Year. Anibaba made twelve appearances for

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 ...

club

Carolina Dynamo Salem City FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Bermuda Run, North Carolina that fields a men's team in USL League Two, and a women's team as the North Carolina Fusion in the USL W League. The teams plays their home games at the Truis ...

during their 2010 season.

Professional

On January 14, 2011, Anibaba was drafted #9 overall in the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consi ...

by the Chicago Fire. He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011, in Chicago's first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–1 tie with

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

, and scored his first professional goal – a 40-yard screamer – on March 30, 2011, in a 2–1 victory over the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

in the qualifying round of the

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

. Anibaba would go on to tally two more goals in the 2011 season finale, heading home two strikes in the space of 19 minutes in a 3–2 win vs.

on October 22, 2011. Anibaba closed out his first season in MLS setting a club record for regular season appearances by a rookie with 29 and had his March 30 strike vs. Colorado voted the team's "Goal of the Year" by the team's fans following the campaign. After three seasons with Chicago, Anibaba was traded in January 2014 with the #8 pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...

and a conditional third-round selection in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Janua ...

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

in exchange for the #13 pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, defender

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado Jhon Kennedy Hurtado Valencia (born May 16, 1984) is a Colombian footballer who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer. Career Professional Hurtado began his career in the youth ranks of Deportivo Cali. In 2004, he began his profess ...

, and defender Patrick Ianni. On December 10, 2014, Anibaba was selected by

Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...

with the fifth pick in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft. After the draft, Anibaba was shipped to

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

as part of the trade for Aurelien Collin. Anibaba was dropped by Sporting Kansas City on November 25, 2015. Anibaba was released by Kansas City at the end of the

2015 MLS season The 2015 Major League Soccer season featured 20 total clubs (17 based in the United States, 3 based in Canada). The regular season was held from March 6 through to October 25, whereas the MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 28 and ended with M ...

and later signed with 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 ...

. His option was declined following the 2017 season; he signed with the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

in the 2018 preseason. Anibaba quickly became a fan-favorite in New England, partly due to his passionate celebrations following successful blocks and tackles. On March 30, 2019, Anibaba scored his only goal for the Revs in a 2–1 victory over Minnesota United FC. On November 19, 2019, Anibaba was selected by MLS expansion side

in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft. Following the 2021 season Anibaba's contract expired with Nashville. On January 14, 2022, Anibaba signed a 1-year deal as a free agent with

. On Monday, February 13, 2023, Anibaba announced his retirement from professional soccer, after which he was named the first-ever club ambassador for Nashville SC.

Personal life

Anibaba was born in the United States and is of Nigerian descent. His brother Jammil and cousin Sule played

during the 2000s for the

UC Davis Aggies The UC Davis Aggies (also referred to as the Ags, Cal Aggies or Aggies) are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis. Eighteen of the school's 25 intercollegiate sports - baseball, men's basketball, men's cross coun ...

, while half brother Josh Reese plays

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

for

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

* *
U.S. soccer profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anibaba, Jalil 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players African-American soccer players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Men's association football defenders North Carolina Fusion U23 players Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC players Columbus Crew players Davis Senior High School (California) alumni Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games Houston Dynamo FC players Major League Soccer players New England Revolution players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Sportspeople from Davis, California Sportspeople from Fontana, California Soccer players from San Bernardino County, California Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players Seattle Sounders FC players Sporting Kansas City players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players USL League Two players Nashville SC players Pan American Games competitors for the United States Nashville SC non-playing staff