Ray Saari (born April 18, 1995) is a former American soccer player.

Early life

Saari was raised in the

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

area and attended Oak Park High School. He was diagnosed with

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an ...

at the age of 15 and underwent several months of

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

before returning to the high school's soccer team.

Career

College

Saari spent his entire college career at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin ...

. He was a starter all four years. He made a total of 69 appearances, and tallied 12 goals and 12 assists. His sophomore season he was named to the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA ...

All-conference team. In his senior season despite missing five matches, Saari finished as the team's second leading scorer and earned a spot on the NSCAA All-East region first team. Saari spent three seasons with NPSL side

Tulsa Athletic Tulsa Athletic is an American soccer team and are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. 2013 was their inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which is a national league at the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. ...

, playing a pivotal role in winning conference titles in two of his three seasons there. His advanced attacking role with the club yielded nearly a point a game and showcased his creative ability in the final third. Saari is among the all-time point leaders at the club registering 12 goals and 13 assists. He also played in the

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 syste ...

for Houston Dutch Lions.

Professional

On March 22, 2017, Saari signed his first professional soccer contract, joining USL club

Seattle Sounders FC 2 Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Sounder ...

. He made his professional debut four days later in a 2–1 defeat to

Sacramento Republic Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, ...

. On September 13, 2018 Saari was released from Seattle Sounders FC 2 having played in 39 matches over two seasons for S2 and recording four goals and six assists. On January 3, 2019, Saari joined USL Championship side

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

. On November 12, 2019, Saari returned to the Kansas City area and signed a contract with the Kansas City Comets of the

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

. Saari signed with USL Championship club

OKC Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessm ...

on February 3, 2020.

References

External links

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S2 bioTulsa Golden Hurricane bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saari, Ray 1995 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Miami Dutch Lions FC players National Premier Soccer League players Sacramento Republic FC players Tacoma Defiance players OKC Energy FC players Soccer players from Kansas City, Missouri Tulsa Athletic players Kansas City Comets (2010–) players Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer players USL Championship players USL League Two players Major Arena Soccer League players