When we say “We Play for Bigger Goals” at Street Soccer USA, we normally mean bigger goals off the field. But sometimes it is about soccer. One great example of that is Adil Abdirahman, a Street Soccer USA player in Minneapolis, MN, and here is his story:
Adil grew up in Ethiopia and Somalia. He came to the United States with his mother at the age of 15 and received refugee status because of the civil war and instability in their home country. He joined the Street Soccer USA Minneapolis team in 2012, and since that time has amazed his teammates and coaches with his skills, hard work and passion for the sport. Adil was part of the Street Soccer USA National Team competing at the Homeless World Cup in Amsterdam in 2015. He also competed in several National Cups before joining his coach Jose Acuna as the assistant coach during the Philadelphia Cup in summer 2016.
The level of skills and persistence consistently exhibited by Adil brought him to the attention of Street Soccer USA’s National Program Director, Oliver Weiss. A native of Germany, Weiss arranged to have Adil travel with him there during his Thanksgiving break this year and experience his first-ever professional training trial with VfL Osnabrück Soccer Club.
Adil trained with the club’s reserve side and the Under 19 Academy team and had the chance to watch the Bundesliga 3 pro-team train. Adil also met with Joe Enochs, the head coach of VfL Osnabrück, and was able to learn more about life as a professional soccer player in Germany. Adil plans to finish high school in June 2017 and will continue to pursue his dream to play professional soccer.
