Lalas Abubakar

Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana

Birthdate: December 25, 1994

Acquired: Via a trade with Columbus Crew SC on November 20, 2019.

MLS CAREER

2020

• Played 1,515 minutes in 17 appearances, all of them starts, during 18-game regular season
• Scored first goal in Burgundy, a stoppage-time equalizer, against Houston Dynamo on 9/9
• Played 90 minutes in first-round playoff loss at Minnesota United FC
• Named to MLS Team of the Week in Week 11 after playing 90 minutes in 5-0 win at Real Salt Lake on 9/12
• Finished second in MLS with 24 Blocks, six behind Columbus’ Jonathan Mensah despite playing six fewer games.
• Was named the club’s Defensive Player of the Year at A Burgundy Affair, the club’s annual end-of-year awards gala, for the second consecutive year
• Signed two-year contract with club option for a third year on 12/15

2019

• Made one appearance, from the start, for Columbus Crew SC in 2019. He made his 2019 regular-season debut in a road contest against the Houston Dynamo (4/27) playing all 90 minutes.
• Made his Colorado Rapids debut on 5/11 at DSGP against Real Salt Lake.
• Assisted Diego Rubio's header in the 35th minute against New Mexico United in the US Open Cup on 6/12 at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park.
• His performance against Minnesota United FC on 6/8 landed him on Major League Soccer's Team of the Week (Week 15).
• Landed a spot on Major League Soccer's Team of the Week (Week 16) after performance in Vancouver on 6/22.
• Surpassed 1,000 minutes with the Colorado Rapids against the Montreal Impact on 8/3 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.

2018

• Made 23 regular-season appearances (20 starts as a center back) for Crew SC, registering one goal.
• Named to the MLS Team of the Week after playing all 90 minutes in the first match of the season on the road against Toronto FC (3/3). A
• Following his start in a road contest against Seattle Sounders FC (5/5), Abubakar was named to MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week.
• Abubakar scored the game-winning goal off of a corner kick in the 85th minute of a road match against the New England Revolution (5/19).
• Made one appearance for Crew SC in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Abubakar made a substitute appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals Leg 1 match against the New York Red Bulls (11/4).

2017

• Abubakar made seven appearances (six starts) for Crew SC in 2017, all at centerback, and scored one goal.
• He made his MLS and Crew SC regular-season debut in a road match against Minnesota United FC (July 4), playing the entire 90 minutes.
• He earned MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week honors for his performance in a home match against the Chicago Fire (8/12).
• Abubakar made three appearances (one start) at centerback in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
• While on loan with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, he made five appearances, all from the start.

INTERNATIONAL

• Abubakar has international experience playing for the Ghana Under-20 National Team.

COLLEGE

• Abubakar played three seasons at the University of Dayton, making 61 appearances (60 starts), scoring four goals and recording six assists during his time there.
• He was chosen as the Atlantic 10 Conference Defender of the Year, making the Second Team NSCAA All-Midwest Region and the First Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference his senior year (2016).
• The previous year, the defender was named the Dayton Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning First Team All-Ohio and First Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team honors (2015).
• In his first season with the Dayton Flyers, Abubakar made the Second Team All-Ohio and the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team (2014). He also played with the Michigan Bucks, winning the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League Championship and being named the USL PDL Defender of the Year (2016).

PERSONAL BIO

Abubakar is the son of Amida Ahmed and Abubakar Ahmed. He has two younger siblings. Abubakar follows basketball and his hobbies include playing the video game FIFA. Abubakar does not play any other sports and says that sometimes he prefers playing soccer over eating. He enjoys watching the television show Merlin. Growing up, Abubakar looked up to Brazilian National Team and Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva. His favorite soccer memory is winning the 2016 USL PDL Championship with the Michigan Bucks. Abubakar is trilingual and he speaks the following languages: English, Twi and Hausa.