Ajeej Sarkaria (born 7 February 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who last played for FC Edmonton as a forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ajeej Sarkaria | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Edmonton Juventus | |||
| 2011–2013 | FC Edmonton | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Alberta Golden Bears | 42 | (37) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013 | FC Edmonton | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | SV Wehen Wiesbaden | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | Fränsta IK | 8 | (6) |
| 2015–2016 | Vasalunds IF | ||
| 2019 | FC Edmonton | 10 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2019 | |||
Club career edit
Early career edit
Sarkaria played youth soccer with Edmonton Juventus before joining local professional club FC Edmonton in 2011.[1] In 2013, Sarkaria signed his first professional contract with Edmonton as a 17-year-old, but failed to make an appearance that season.[2] He subsequently played overseas in Germany and Sweden before returning to Canada in 2016.[3] In Europe, he joined German organization SV Wehen Wiesbaden and Swedish club Vasalunds IF,[4] as well as briefly for Swedish lower division sixth tier side Fränsta IK,[5] where he scored six goals in eight matches.[6][7] While in Germany, as an 18 year old, he played with the U23 side, but also tore his MCL.[8]
Calgary Foothills edit
In 2016, Sarkaria played for USL Premier Development League side Calgary Foothills, making twelve league appearances and adding another five in the playoffs.[9] The following year, he made another thirteen league appearances, scoring one goal, and made another appearance in the playoffs.[10] In 2018, Sarkaria made eight appearances, scoring three goals, and made another three appearances in the playoffs as the Foothills won the 2018 PDL Championship.[11]
While playing for Calgary in the summer Sarkaria attended the University of Alberta, where he scored 37 goals in 42 appearances for the Golden Bears.[12] In 2016, he was named the Canada West Player of the Year and in 2018, Sarkaria set the new all-time Canada West scoring record for career points.[8]
FC Edmonton edit
In November 2018, Sarkaria was drafted in the second round, 8th overall in the 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft by his former club FC Edmonton.[12] On 13 December 2018, he signed with Edmonton ahead of the club's inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League.[13] On 18 May 2019, Sarkaria made his professional debut as a starter in the Al Classico derby against Cavalry FC.[14] On November 4 Edmonton announced they were parting ways with Sarkaria following the end of the season.[15]
Honours edit
University of Alberta
- U Sports men's soccer Championship: 2016
Calgary Foothills
References edit
- ^ Mitch Sorensen (14 November 2016). "Sarkaria leads Bears Soccer youth movement to success". The Gateway. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Benjamin Massey (15 November 2018). "2018 CanPL – U-Sports Draft Review: The Big One". Maple Leaf Forever. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Jason Hills (25 August 2017). "Bears striker Ajeej Sarkaria relishes challenge of matching last season's performance". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Ajeej Sarkaria". LinkedIn.
- ^ "Jumbon med två nya kana-dicker gav serieledarna full huggning" [Jumbo with two new Canadians gave the league leaders full chopping]. LocalFotbollen (in Swedish). August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Danne Johansson bästa målskytten i Medelpadsallsvenskan på många år" [Danne Johansson the best goal scorer in the Medelpadsallsvenskan for many years]. LokalFotbollen (in Swedish).
- ^ "Statistik - Division 4 Herrar" [Statistics - Division 4 Men]. Storfors FF (in Swedish).
- ^ a b "Ajeej Sarkaria". The People of Sports. January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Ajeej Sarkaria 2016". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Ajeej Sarkaria 2017". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Ajeej Sarkaria 2018". USL League Two. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ a b "FC Edmonton selects trio of Golden Bears in inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "FC Edmonton signs Son Yongchan, Bruno Zebie, Ajeej Sarkaria and Ajay Khabra". Canadian Premier League. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "A. Sarkaria". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Khimji, Khassim (November 4, 2019). "FC Edmonton announces the departures of eight players following 2019 CPL season". Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
External links edit
- Ajeej Sarkaria at Soccerway