Ashani Fairclough facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | August 7, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Portmore, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012 | VSI Tampa Flames | 5 | (0) |
| 2013 | Seattle Sounders FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 32 | (3) |
| 2015 | Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 12 | (1) |
| 2016 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 24 | (5) |
| 2017 | Charlotte Independence | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Jamaica U17 | |||
| Jamaica U20 | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| 2024– | Tampa Bay Sun (assistant) | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Ashani Fairclough, born on August 7, 1992, is a former professional soccer player from Jamaica. He used to play as a defender. Today, he works as an assistant coach for the USL Super League team, Tampa Bay Sun.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Days in Soccer
Ashani showed great talent from a young age. When he was just fifteen years old in 2007, he was the captain of Jamaica's national Under-17 team. This was a big honor for him.
A year later, many colleges in the United States wanted him to play for their soccer teams. Ashani chose to attend the University of South Florida. He was only sixteen when he started college, making him one of the youngest Jamaicans ever to go to college for sports.
College and Amateur Soccer
From 2009 to 2012, Ashani played four years of college soccer for the South Florida Bulls. While he was studying, he also played for a team called VSI Tampa Flames in a league for young players, the USL PDL, during their 2012 season.
Becoming a Professional Player
In 2013, Ashani was not chosen in the special player draft for Major League Soccer (MLS). However, after playing very well during pre-season trials, he signed with Seattle Sounders FC, a major MLS team, on March 22, 2013. Unfortunately, he was released by Seattle a few months later, on June 27, 2013, without playing in a main game for them.
Ashani then joined the USL Pro team Wilmington Hammerheads on April 2, 2014. He quickly became a key player. On May 6, 2014, he was named to the USL Pro team of the week, which means he was one of the best players in the league that week. By the end of the 2014 season, Ashani was named to the USL Pro First Team of the Year, a huge achievement for a defender.
International Games
Ashani also represented his country on the international stage. He was a member of the Jamaica national Under-20 team in 2009.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Ashani decided to become a coach. In 2024, he joined the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Sun. This team is part of the new USL Super League, which is an exciting league for women's professional soccer.
Awards and Honors
Individual Awards
- USL Pro All-League First Team: 2014 (This means he was chosen as one of the best players in the USL Pro league for the 2014 season.)
