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Micheal Azira
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Micheal Azira (born 22 August 1987) is a Ugandan professional footballer.
Key Information
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Professional career
[edit]Azira signed with Charleston Battery of USL Pro in 2012.[1][better source needed] He scored the winning goal for Charleston against Wilmington Hammerheads in the 2012 USL Pro Championship match.[2] Azira scored six more goals for the Battery in 2013.
Azira was transferred to Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer on 6 March 2014.[3][4] He made his MLS debut as a substitute against Montréal on 23 March.[5]
Seattle did not renew Azira's contract following the 2015 season. Azira entered the MLS Waiver Draft in December 2015 and was selected by Colorado Rapids.[6]
Azira was traded by the Rapids on 8 August 2018 to Montreal Impact for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.[7]
Azira was traded again in August 2019, this time to the Chicago Fire.[8] His contract with the club expired at the end of the 2020 season.[9]
On 1 February 2021, Azira signed with USL Championship side New Mexico United.[10]
International career
[edit]Azira plays for his birth nation of Uganda. Coach Milutin Sredojević selected Azira for the final 23-man roster for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[11]
Coaching career
[edit]Azira served as head coach for the Daniel Island Soccer Academy U-16 and U-18 Boyz teams in Charleston, South Carolina. He also served as assistant coach at UMS-Wright in Mobile, Alabama for two seasons, helping lead them to a state title in 2011.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Azira previously held a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[13]
On 9 October 2021, Azira was naturalized as an American citizen in Albuquerque.[14]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 23 April 2022[15]
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mississippi Brilla | 2010 | USL PDL | 10[16] | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | 15[17] | 5 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 17 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 5 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 5 | ||||
| Charleston Battery | 2012 | USL Pro | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 26 | 5 | 2[c] | 0 | 2[b] | 2 | — | 30 | 7 | |||
| Total | 40 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 47 | 8 | |||
| Seattle Sounders U-23 | 2013 | USL PDL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2014 | MLS | 14 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
| Seattle Sounders U-23 (loan) | 2014 | USL PDL | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Tacoma Defiance (loan) | 2015 | USL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Colorado Rapids | 2016 | MLS | 30 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 30 | 0 | 1[c] | 1 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 65 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 1 | ||
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks (loan) | 2018 | USL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Montreal Impact | 2018 | MLS | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | 19 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| Chicago Fire | 2019 | MLS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| New Mexico United | 2021 | USL Championship | 28 | 1 | — | — | — | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 235 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 262 | 17 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in USL PDL playoffs
- ^ a b Appearance(s) and goal in USL Pro playoffs
- ^ a b c d e f g Appearance(s) in US Open Cup
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in MLS Cup playoffs
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
- ^ Appearance(s) in Canadian Championship
International
[edit]- As of matches played on 16 July 2019[18]
| Uganda national team | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 0 |
Honours
[edit]Charleston Battery
- USL Pro Championship: 2012
- Seattle Sounders
- U.S Open Cup: 2014
- Supporters Shield: 2014
References
[edit]- ^ "Charleston Battery transfers Mike Azira to Seattle Sounders FC". wlox.com. Raycom Media. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ Andrew Miller (8 September 2012). "Charleston Battery captures fourth USL title with 1-0 win over Wilmington". Post and Courier. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Charleston Battery transfers Mike Azira to Seattle Sounders FC". Charleston Battery. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ Dave Clark (6 March 2014). "Sounders Sign Ugandan International Micheal Azira". Sounder at Heart.
- ^ "Montreal Impact vs Seattle Sounders FC 03-23-2014 – Rosters". MLSsoccer.com. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ "Former Sounders FC midfielder Micheal Azira lands with Colorado Rapids". Seattle Sounders FC.
- ^ "Colorado Rapids trade Micheal Azira to Montreal Impact, receive 2020 draft pick". Colorado Rapids. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Chicago Fire pick up Micheal Azira in trade with Montreal Impact". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "MLS contract options: Who's staying and who's going entering 2021 offseason | MLSSoccer.com".
- ^ "New Mexico Adds Veteran Midfielder Micheal Azira". USL Championship. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Uganda name Africa Nations cup squad". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Micheal Azira finds his niche on Sounders with good humor, positive attitude". The Seattle Times. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Impact acquires Uganda international midfielder Micheal Azira". impactmontreal.com. Montreal Impact. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Naturalization ceremony held at New Mexico United game". KRQE NEWS 13. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ "Uganda - M. Azira - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi Brilla FC". 10 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "2011 Roster & Stats - Brilla Soccer Ministries". 28 January 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ Micheal Azira at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
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