Mehdi Essoussi (born 28 February 2001) is a Tunisian footballer who plays as a midfielder with Alliance United FC in League1 Ontario.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 February 2001 | ||
| 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 | 14 | (2) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | Toronto FC III | 13 | (1) |
| 2019–2022 | Toronto FC II | 24 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Toronto FC (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2023– | Alliance United FC | 30 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 19, 2024 | |||
Early life
editEssoussi 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
editIn 2023, he began attending the University of Toronto, playing for the men's soccer team, making one appearance that season.[5] In 2024, he was named the team captain and was named an OUA East First Team All-Star.[6][7]
Club career
editIn 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.[8] He was named a 2nd team all-star at the end of the season.[9]
On 27 September 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Toronto FC II to join them for the 2019 season.[10][11] He made his debut on June 19 against the Lansing Ignite.[12] On 21 May 2022, he signed a short-term loan with the first team Toronto FC.[13]
In 2023, he began playing with Alliance United FC in League1 Ontario.[14]
At the 2025 CPL–U Sports Draft, Essoussi was selected in the second round (10th overall) by Vancouver FC.[15]
International career
editEligible to represent both his native Tunisia and Canada, he was called up to the Canadian under-15 national team camp in March 2016.[4][1]
Career statistics
edit- As of August 19, 2024[16]
| 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[17] | 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[14] | League1 Ontario | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Premier | 18 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 67 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 2 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Mehdi Essoussi at the Canadian Soccer Association
- ^ "Force Academy Alumni: National Teams and Professional Players". Ottawa South United.
- ^ "Ottawa Fury 2011 Media Guide" (PDF). Ottawa Fury SC.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Marit (1 October 2018). "High performance: Meet two elite student athletes at U of T Engineering". University of Toronto.
- ^ "Mehdi Essoussi Varsity Blues profile". Toronto Varsity Blues.
- ^ "Hallam and Essoussi selected in CPL-U Sports Draft". Toronto Varsity Blues. 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Orlov coach of the year, Hallam rookie of the Year; Blues soccer receive four All-Stars". Toronto Varsity Blues. 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Sigma Goes Top Of League After Beating TFC III 2-1". League1 Ontario. 13 August 2018.
- ^ Krueger, Adam (27 November 2018). "Academy players honoured with League1 Ontario Awards". Toronto FC.
- ^ "Toronto FC II sign three Academy players for 2019 season". Toronto FC. 27 September 2018.
- ^ Grossi, James (4 April 2019). "TFC II set to kickoff USL League One season". Waking the Red.
- ^ Richards, Gwyn (20 June 2019). "TFC II in D3: Lansing's Haitian Sensation Ends Young Reds' Unbeaten Run". Northern Starting XI.
- ^ "Toronto FC sign Mehdi Essoussi to a short-term agreement". Toronto FC. 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Mehdi Essoussi 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Vancouver FC select Henri Godbout and Mehdi Essoussi in 2025 CPL U-SPORTS Draft". Vancouver FC. 5 December 2024.
- ^ Mehdi Essoussi at Soccerway
- ^ "2018 Statistics". League 1 Ontario. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
External links
edit- Mehdi Essoussi at Soccerway
- Mehdi Essoussi at the Canadian Soccer Association