Mehdi Essoussi (born 28 February 2001) is a Tunisian footballer who plays as a midfielder with Alliance United FC in League1 Ontario.

Mehdi Essoussi
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-02-28) 28 February 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Tunis, Tunisia
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Alliance United FC
Number 8
Youth career
Nepean Hotspurs SC
2011 Ottawa Fury Academy
2010–2016 Ottawa South United
2017–2021 Toronto FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Toronto Varsity Blues 1 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Toronto FC III 13 (1)
2019–2022 Toronto FC II 24 (0)
2022Toronto FC (loan) 0 (0)
2023– Alliance United FC 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 19, 2023

Early life edit

Essoussi was born in Tunis, Tunisia, before moving to Montreal, Canada, when he was one, followed by a move to Ottawa at age two.[1] He began playing youth soccer at age four with the Nepean Hotspurs SC,[1] before moving on to Ottawa South United[2] and spending some time in the Ottawa Fury Academy.[3] He then moved on to join the Toronto FC Academy. He also played with the Team Ontario provincial team and attended a Canada national team identification camp.[4]

University career edit

In 2023, he began attending the University of Toronto, playing for the men's soccer team.[5]

Club career edit

In 2018, he began playing for Toronto FC III in the semi-professional League1 Ontario. He scored his first goal on 12 August against Sigma FC.[6] He was named a 2nd team all-star at the end of the season.[7]

On 27 September 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Toronto FC II to join them for the 2019 season.[8][9] He made his debut on June 19 against the Lansing Ignite.[10] On 21 May 2022, he signed a short-term loan with the first team Toronto FC.[11]

In 2023, he played with Alliance United FC in League1 Ontario.[12]

International career edit

Eligible to represent both his native Tunisia and Canada, he was called up to the Canadian under-15 national team camp in 2016.[4][13]

Career statistics edit

As of August 19, 2023[14]
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Toronto FC III 2018[15] League1 Ontario 13 1 2 0 15 1
Toronto FC II 2019 USL League One 6 0 6 0
2021 15 0 15 0
2022 MLS Next Pro 3 0 0 0 3 0
Total 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 0
Toronto FC (loan) 2022 Major League Soccer 0 0 0 0 0 0
Alliance United FC 2023[12] League1 Ontario 12 0 12 0
Career total 49 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 51 1

References edit

  1. ^ a b Mehdi Essoussi at the Canadian Soccer Association
  2. ^ "Force Academy Alumni: National Teams and Professional Players". Ottawa South United.
  3. ^ "Ottawa Fury 2011 Media Guide" (PDF). Ottawa Fury SC.
  4. ^ a b Mitchell, Marit (October 1, 2018). "High performance: Meet two elite student athletes at U of T Engineering". University of Toronto.
  5. ^ "Mehdi Essoussi Varsity Blues profile". Toronto Varsity Blues.
  6. ^ "Sigma Goes Top Of League After Beating TFC III 2-1". League1 Ontario. August 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Krueger, Adam (November 27, 2018). "Academy players honoured with League1 Ontario Awards". Toronto FC.
  8. ^ "Toronto FC II sign three Academy players for 2019 season". Toronto FC. September 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Grossi, James (April 4, 2019). "TFC II set to kickoff USL League One season". Waking the Red.
  10. ^ Richards, Gwyn (June 20, 2019). "TFC II in D3: Lansing's Haitian Sensation Ends Young Reds' Unbeaten Run". Northern Starting XI.
  11. ^ "Toronto FC sign Mehdi Essoussi to a short-term agreement". Toronto FC. May 21, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Mehdi Essoussi 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  13. ^ "U-15 Men's Team [2016-03]". Canadian Soccer Association.
  14. ^ Mehdi Essoussi at Soccerway
  15. ^ "2018 Statistics". League 1 Ontario. Retrieved 23 September 2018.

External links edit