Molham "Mo" Babouli (; born January 2, 1993) is a professional

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 ...

who plays as a forward for

Forge FC Forge FC, also known as Forge Football Club, Forge FC Hamilton, or Hamilton Forge FC, is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of Canadia ...

. Born in the United Arab Emirates, he represented Canada at youth international level and currently plays for the Syria national team.

Club career

Toronto FC

Babouli spent time at

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, is a public polytechnic institute partnered with private Canadian College of Technology and Trades operating campuses ...

before joining the TFC Academy in 2014. He played with the senior academy side in the inaugural season of

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association. League1 Ontario consists of three tiers – League1 Premier ...

, where he led the league in scoring with 27 goals in all competitions. TFC Academy would go on to win the regular season title and the Inter-Provincial Cup championship against CS Longueuil, the champions of the

Première ligue de soccer du Québec A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the film ...

. He won the Golden Boot and League MVP honours for the 2014 season. On March 12, 2015, Babouli signed his first professional contract with

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as we ...

ahead of their inaugural season in the

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

. He made his professional debut against the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

on March 21, and scored his first goal for the club in the same match. His performance in the match was rewarded with a

team of the week appearance on March 24. On March 5, 2016, Babouli signed with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. He made his MLS debut against

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 ...

on March 20, as a substitute for Tsubasa Endoh. He returned to

on loan ahead of the

2016 USL season The 2016 USL season was the sixth season of the United Soccer League and the twenty-second season of USSF sanctioned Division III play organized by the United Soccer Leagues. On August 6, 2015, the league announced that the season would cons ...

. On April 21, 2017, the club announced that Babouli had been placed on waivers.

Sigma FC

Babouli signed with

Sigma Sigma ( ; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as an operator ...

following his release from TFC. He scored a goal in his debut against

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

on July 8, 2017.

Al-Ittihad

In September 2017, Babouli joined Syrian club

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...

of the

Syrian Premier League The Syrian Premier League () is a professional association football league in Syria and the top division of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 12 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Syrian Le ...

. They finished in second place in the 2017–18 season, after losing a tie-breaker to Al-Jaish with whom they were level on points.

Mississauga MetroStars

Babouli signed for MASL club Mississauga MetroStars ahead of their inaugural season on November 2, 2018. In his debut season in the MASL he was named the Newcomer of the Year. Babouli was announced as the MetroStars' new team captain ahead of the 2019–20 MASL season.

FC Ukraine United

Babouli played in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

for the 2019 season with

FC Ukraine United FC Ukraine United is a Canadian soccer club founded in 2006. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League a league that is not sanctioned by any FIFA recognized body. Their home venue is located at Centennial Park Stadium in Etob ...

. In his debut match on September 8, 2019 he recorded four goals against

Brantford Galaxy Brantford Galaxy Soccer Club was a semi-professional Canadian soccer club based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, with their home venue located in Hamilton, Ontario at the Heritage Field Turf. The club competes in the Canadian Soccer League, a league ...

. He recorded his second hat-trick on October 1, 2019 against

SC Real Mississauga SC Real Mississauga was a Canadian soccer club based in Mississauga, Ontario that played in the Canadian Soccer League. History The club joined the Canadian Soccer League in 2018 with a team in the First Division. The club was originally formed ...

. As a result finished as the club's top goalscorer with nine goals and the league's fourth leading goalscorer, despite only playing four games – Mykola Temniuk led the league with 18 goals in 17 games. In the opening match of the postseason Babouli scored against

Hamilton City SC Hamilton City 1 Soccer Club is a Canadian soccer team founded in 2016 that played in the Canadian Soccer League, and played their home games at Cardinal Newman Secondary School multi-sport athletic field in the community of Stoney Creek, Hamilto ...

, and advanced to the next round after a penalty shootout. In the semifinal he contributed another goal in a 5–3 victory against

SC Waterloo Region SC Waterloo Region was a Canadian soccer team based in Waterloo, Ontario. The club competed in various divisions in the Canadian Soccer League. The club was formed in 2011 under KW United FC and initially competed in the league's second division. ...

, and advanced to the

CSL Championship The Canadian Soccer League championship final, or CSL Championship, is the post-season match of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and is the successor to the CNSL Championship. The winner is crowned champion as in other North American sports le ...

. He featured in the finals against

Scarborough SC Scarborough SC is a Canadian soccer team founded in 2014. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League. The team plays home games out of Birchmount Stadium in the district of Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario. The team's colours are ...

, but in a losing effort. In early 2020, he trailed with

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...

club

York United FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. History ...

Forge FC

On August 4, 2020,

club

announced the signing of Babouli to a contract. He made his debut for the club as a substitute on August 13 in the 2020 season opener against

Cavalry FC Cavalry Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches ...

. On September 19, Forge defeated

HFX Wanderers FC Halifax Wanderers FC, also written as HFX Wanderers FC, is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the top of the Canadian soccer league syste ...

in the 2020 CPL Final to win the league title. Babouli assisted on the game's winning goal and was named

Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

. Babouli re-signed with Forge for the 2021 Canadian Premier League season. By winning the 2020 season, Forge qualified for the

2021 CONCACAF League The 2021 CONCACAF League (officially the 2021 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) was the 5th edition of the CONCACAF League, a football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Centr ...

. In the preliminary round, Forge faced C.D. FAS, and Babouli scored the winning goal in the first leg that Forge would win 3–1. A 2–2 draw in the second leg meant Forge would advance. In the next round, Forge faced Panamanian club Independiente. After a scoreless first leg, Babouli would again send Forge through to the next round by opening the scoring in a 2–0 victory. In the quarter-finals against Costa Rican club Santos de Guápiles, Forge lost the first leg away 3–1, but Babouli played the hero in the second leg, first assisting Omar Browne's goal, and then scoring himself to give Forge the lead on

away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

, though Joshua Navarro would later seal the game for Forge by making it 3–0. This victory sent Forge into the semi-finals and also qualified them for the

2022 CONCACAF Champions League The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup under its former name, and overall the 57th edition of the premier Association football, football club ...

, becoming the first ever Canadian Premier league club to do so. Babouli scored 3 goals and contributed 2 assists in the tournament and was honoured in the Team of the Tournament.

Muaither SC

In 2022, Babouli joined

Muaither SC Muaither SC () is a multi-sports club based in Muaither, Qatar. It is best known for its Association football, football department, which plays in the Qatari Second Division. History 1996–2013: Second division The club was founded in 1996 as ...

in the Qatari Second Division.

York United

In August 2022, Babouli joined

on a contract through the 2024 season. He made his debut for his new club on August 14, entering in as a substitute against

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 t ...

. In York's next game on August 20, Babouli scored his first goal against his former club

in an eventual 3-1 victory. In 2023, Babouli was subject to controversy due to not showing up to York United’s pride match.

Second spell at Forge FC

On January 23, 2025, Babouli signed a one-year contract with

International career

Babouli was eligible to represent the United Arab Emirates (through birth), Syria (through descent), and Canada (through residency). Babouli made his debut for the Canadian program with the U23 side at the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

. He played his first match against Brazil U23 and scored a goal in a 4–1 defeat. Babouli was named to the

2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship The 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship was the fourteenth edition of the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship, CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying, the quadrennial, international, age-restricted association football, foot ...

team on September 18, 2015. In November 2021, he was named to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

's preliminary squad for the

2021 FIFA Arab Cup The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup () was the 10th edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, Arab Cup, the Arab world's national team Association football, football tournament; it was the first edition under FIFA's jurisdiction, with previous editions having been organi ...

. He made his debut for the team against the country of his birth,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on January 27, 2022.

Personal life

In April 2018, Babouli was detained by the Syrian Military Police upon obtaining the Syrian Identity Card, due to the fact that each Syrian male has to do the mandatory military service. He was released days later after paying the fee required for the exemption of the military duties.

Career statistics

Honours

Sheridan College * CCAA National Championship: 2014 Toronto FC III *

League Champions:

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 ...

* L1O/ PLSQ Inter-Provincial Cup Champions:

Toronto FC *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

* Trillium Cup: 2016 Forge *

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Individual *

Golden Boot:

MVP:

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

Newcomer of the Year: 2018–19 *

CONCACAF League The CONCACAF League was an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its secondary continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. It was announced on 8 May 2017. The compet ...

Team Of The Tournament:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babouli, Molham 1993 births Living people Men's association football forwards Canadian men's soccer players Syrian men's footballers People from Al Ain Canadian people of Syrian descent Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Toronto FC II players Toronto FC players Mississauga MetroStars players FC Ukraine United players Forge FC players Muaither SC players League1 Ontario players USL Championship players Major League Soccer players Syrian Premier League players Major Arena Soccer League players Qatari Second Division players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Canadian Premier League players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Footballers at the 2015 Pan American Games Homegrown Players (MLS) Pan American Games soccer players for Canada Sigma FC players Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar York United FC players Toronto FC Academy players Sportspeople of Syrian descent 21st-century Canadian sportsmen University and college men's soccer players in Canada