Michael Lahoud (french: Michel Lahoud, ar, مايكل لحود; born September 15, 1986) is a former Sierra Leonean
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 ...
and current broadcaster for
Austin FC
Austin FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play ...
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational an ...
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...
, and played
college soccer
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...
at
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private university, private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Wake Forest, north of Rale ...
, playing a total of 95 games. As a freshman forward in 2005, Lahoud was tied for second on the team with seven goals which landed him on the 2005 All ACC Freshman Team as well. He finished with 14 goals and 20 assists in four seasons. He helped win the NCAA National Championship in 2007, and final four appearances in 2006 and 2008. In 2008, he was named to the All- ACC Second Team. Lahoud is ranked in a tie for second in career games played at Wake Forest with 95 and fourth in career games started with 89.
During his college years Lahoud also played with
Carolina Dynamo
North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
T ...
in the
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...
.
Professional
Lahoud was drafted in the first round (9th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gua ...
. He made his professional debut on 21 March 2009, in Chivas's first game of the 2009 MLS season against
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, ...
. He played in 16 games (nine starts) with one goal and one assist. His first MLS goal was on Oct. 25, 2009 vs Houston in the 59th minute. Scored his first goal as a profession in the SuperLiga match on June 20, 2009 against
Tigres UANL
Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Fou ...
. On September 14, 2010 Chivas USA beat CD Guadalajara and won the ChivaClásico Trophy following a penalty kick shootout after both sides ended scoreless in regulation. Michael Lahoud buried the final penalty to give the American Red-and-Whites a 4-2 victory. He was awarded the MVP Trophy.
On May 17, 2012, Lahoud was traded to the
Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 2010 ...
in exchange for Danny Califf.
On January 12, 2016, Lahoud joined NASL side New York Cosmos on a season-long loan. Lahoud's loan was cut short on May 24, 2016, when he was sold to NASL side Miami FC for a reported $300,000.
Lahoud joined
United Soccer League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
side
FC Cincinnati
Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team succeeded the lower-division team of the ...
on April 18, 2018.
International career
Lahoud received his first international call for
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
in late August 2013 for their
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil. The remaining 31 places were determined by ...
match against Equatorial Guinea despite not having been to Sierra Leone since 1993. Lahoud made his international debut in the match, a 3-2 victory for Sierra Leone, after being substituted in for the final 15 minutes of the match.
Career statistics
Updated April 21, 2014
Volunteer work
Lahoud was the August recipient of MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month honor in 2010 for his efforts with HIV prevention through The Wall Memorias Project. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...
and
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...
game at
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...
on September 17, 2010. Alongside former
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gua ...
teammate Justin Braun he volunteers and mentors the Compton United Soccer Club.
In March 2011, Lahoud created a charity event "Schools for Salone" that helps schools in Sierra Leone.
In July 2011, Lahoud posed for the NOH8 campaign, which raises awareness for gay rights.
In December 2015, Lahoud and national teammate and fellow-MLS player Kei Kamara were the co-recipients of the 2015 FIFPro Merit Award for their efforts in creating a school for children displaced by civil war in their native Sierra Leone.
Honors
Wake Forest University
*
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
Soccer America
''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the US, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California.
History and profile
The magazine was founded by Clay Be ...
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...