Kalif Alhassan facts for kids
Alhassan with Portland Timbers in 2010
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kalif Alhassan | ||
| Date of birth | 15 October 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
PDX | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2010 | Liberty Professionals | ||
| 2010 | Portland Timbers | 6 | (2) |
| 2011–2014 | Portland Timbers | 93 | (5) |
| 2015 | Minnesota United | 27 | (4) |
| 2016 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 17 | (0) |
| 2017 | New York Cosmos | 5 | (1) |
| 2017 | Dila Gori | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Oklahoma City Energy | 6 | (0) |
| 2019 | Minerva Punjab | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Churchill Brothers | 12 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | PDX FC | 5 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2007 | Ghana U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2008 | Ghana U20 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 Decewmber 2024 | |||
Kalif Alhassan (born on October 15, 1990, in Accra, Ghana) is a talented Ghanaian footballer. He plays as a Midfielder and has been part of many teams throughout his career.
Contents
Kalif Alhassan's Football Journey
Starting Out in Ghana
Kalif Alhassan began his professional football career in 2007. He joined Liberty Professionals, a team in the Ghana Premier League. He helped his team reach the semifinals of the 2009 WAFU Club Championship. This was an important competition for clubs in West Africa.
Playing in the United States
In 2010, Kalif moved to the United States. He signed with the Portland Timbers. At the time, the Timbers were in the USSF Division 2 Professional League. Kalif hoped to stay with the team when they joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011. MLS is the top football league in the United States.
In his very first game as a starter for the Timbers, Kalif scored a goal. It was in the final moments of the game, and it gave Portland a 1–0 win. This was against the Puerto Rico Islanders.
Making an Impact in MLS
When the Timbers joined MLS in 2011, Kalif continued to shine. He became one of only three players in MLS history to get an assist in each of his first three home games. All three of these games were wins for the Timbers.
Kalif scored his first MLS goal at the start of the 2012 season. He skillfully chipped the ball over the Philadelphia Union goalkeeper, Zac MacMath. This goal helped the Timbers win 3–1. Besides his goal, Kalif also set up another goal. He also won a free kick that led to his team's first goal. Because of his amazing performance, Kalif was named Player of the Week. He was the first Timbers player ever to win this award.
Moving to Other Teams
After playing for the Portland Timbers, Kalif joined Minnesota United FC in 2015. He played in 28 matches for them that year. In 2016, he moved to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
In 2017, Kalif played for the New York Cosmos. Later that year, he signed with Dila Gori in Georgia (the country). In 2019, he moved to India. There, he played for Minerva Academy, who were champions of the I-League.
International Football
Kalif Alhassan also played for Ghana's national youth teams. In 2007, he joined the Ghana U-17 national team. The next year, in 2008, he played for the Ghana U-20 national team. Even though he played for the U-20 team, he wasn't part of the squad that won the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
In 2008, Kalif was also invited to train with the main Ghana national team. This was for the 2009 African Nations Championship. However, he didn't make it into the final team for that tournament.
Family Connection
Football runs in Kalif's family! His father is George Alhassan. George was also a famous Ghanaian international footballer. He even won the Africa Cup of Nations twice with the Ghana national team.
