Mehdi Ballouchy | MLSsoccer.com

Player Details

Name

Mehdi Ballouchy

Height

5' 11"

Weight

170 lbs

Date of Birth

4.6.1983 (41)

Birthplace

Casablanca, Morocco

Position

Midfielder

Mehdi Ballouchy retires from MLS after 11-year career

After a long and well-traveled career, Mehdi Ballouchy has retired from professional soccer. The 33-year-old, a native of Morocco who moved to the US at age 16, played in 11 MLS seasons after being drafted 2nd overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake. He went on to

Syrian refugee lives changed by a soccer program created by ex-MLSer

When his playing career ended in 2016, Mehdi Ballouchy was driven to find a way to help Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country. He partnered with the Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education and started Kickstart Joy, a foundation that uses soccer to bring happiness to the lives of Syrian refugees.Jillian Sakovits joined the former MLS player and current NYCFC Under-15 boys coach on a trip to Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, where she talked to the refugees who have participated in Kickstart Joy along with other ex-MLSers, like Steven Lenhart and MLSsoccer.com personality Bobby Warshaw, who have joined Ballouchy's cause.Click HERE for more episodes of Beyond the Stands presented by Wells Fargo.

Career Summary

Retired following the 2016 season.

PRONUNCIATION: MED-ee BALL-ooch-ee

A 10 year MLS veteran, Ballouchy is coming off a 2015 season that saw him make 16 starts, his most since the 2011 campaign. Ballouchy's comfort on the ball saw him tie his career high with three goals, and he added two assists during the first ever MLS season in the Bronx. He will hope to fit into Coach Vieira's plans in the 2016 season, and continue to build the Cityzen's legacy in the five boroughs. Ballouchy has 200 MLS regular season appearances and over 13,000 career minutes.

COLLEGE: Ballouchy played one season at Creighton University, leading the Bluejays to the semifinals of the 2002 College Cup, before transferring to Santa Clara University, where he played two seasons. Was a two-time All-American selection, including a First Team selection in 2005.