Nidal Baba (born August 16, 1972, in

Humble, Texas Humble ( ) is a city located in the Greater Houston, Houston metropolitan area. Humble became an Boomtown, oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first discovered there in 1904. By 1905, the Humble oilfield was the largest producing ...

) is a retired U.S.

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 ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

who was a member of the U.S. U-16 national team at the

1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship The 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the third edition of the tournament, was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 and 24 June 1989. Players born after 1 August 1972 could participate in ...

. He also played three games with the MetroStars during the 1996

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 ...

season. Baba attended

Humble High School Humble High School (HHS) is a secondary school in the Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 for the city of Humble, the Moonshine Hill, Houston, Texas, Moonshine Hill area of Houston, an ...

where he was a two-time

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers nationwide in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a read ...

High School All American soccer player. In 1989, he was a member of the U.S. U-16 national team at the

. His brother, Imad, scored the winning goal as the U.S. defeated Brazil, the team finished group play with a 1-1-1 record, and failed to qualify for the second round. He went on to play several games that fall with the U.S. U-20 national team. He then attended

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, playing on the men's soccer team from 1992 to 1994. He finished his career with 13 goals and 17 assists. On February 7, 1996, the MetroStars selected Baba in the 14th round (139th overall) in the

1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players to the league's ten inaugural teams. The Inaugural Player Draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996 after each team was allocated four marqu ...

. He played only three games before being released. In 2002, he worked with his brother

Imad Baba Imad Baba (born March 15, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He spent seven years in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids. He was also a member of the Americ ...

in a nutrition store in Houston, Texas.MLS Retirees
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baba, Nidal 1972 births Living people Sportspeople from Humble, Texas American men's soccer players Clemson Tigers men's soccer players New York Red Bulls players Major League Soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players Soccer players from Harris County, Texas Men's association football midfielders 20th-century American sportsmen