Chicago Fire picked him 7th overall and he hit the ground running, scoring his first goal as a team member in August  2008 against Chivas.  He is full of promise and looks like he will continue to be invaluable for the team.

Bakari Soumare is  a defender from Bamako, Mali with an equally impressive soccer history.  He lived in Paris for a while before moving to the United States where he began to make his impact in American soccer circles.  He led the Red Storm Arrows of the Super Y League to a national title in 2002 as their captain, was a two-year letter winner, Parade All-American, two-year team captain, 2004 team MVP, 2004 League Co-MVP, and a two-time All-City member.

Chicago Fire drafted him 2nd overall in the first round in 2007, and he immediately made an impact.   He was named to the MLS Best XI after the 2008 season and was nominated for 2008 MLS Defender of the Year.  This player is one to watch!

John Thorrington is a defensive midfielder from Johannesburg, South Africa. He played for Manchester United at the age of 17 (in 1997), moved to Bayer Leverkusen and then on to Huddersfield Town.

He developed hamstring injuries which have plagued him throughout his career.  He is currently on the reserve roster but Chicago Fire remains confident that he will make an impact in the next soccer season.

In 2009, he signed with DC United in February 2009 after an impressive showing at the pre-season tryouts and debuted in the April 2009 game against the Houston Astros.

Thabiso Khumalo is a forward for DC United from Soweto, South Africa.  He was the first freshman in NAIA history to win the National Player of the Year award after scoring 21 goals in 2001, and earned earned First Team NAIA All-American, All-Region and Mid-South Conference honors in 2002.

In his junior year he led his team to a program-best 20-3-0 record and a Big South title, and  earned MVP honors at the Big South Tournament during his senior year at Coastal Carolina University.  A great asset to the teams he plays with, he tends to be a high-scorer (a skill that landed him on the DC United team).

Named a Freshman All-American by the Sporting News, FoxSports.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net, he was the only ACC freshman to make the Sporting News‘ five-man team and get voted by unanimous selection to the ACC All-Freshman Team.  With a 7-2 wingspan, he can handle small players very well, and out-dribble the larger players, making him a double-threat on the court.

Despite his incredible ability, he still needs to work on his offensive game and develop his skills in ball-handling, footwork, and decision-making.  Scouts view him as a potential #8 draft pick in the 2010 NBA draft, if he gets these skills honed.

The son of Nigerian parents, and said to descend from Nigerian royalty, Al-Farouq Aminu will be making many proud as he represents his heritage on the courts.

Hasheem Thabeet, a player from Tanzania, is favored to be a top 5 pick after his stunning performance in the NCAA championships.  This is quite an achievement when you consider that he started playing basketball at the age of 15.   Standing tall at 7′ 3″ and weighing 263 pounds, he is the tallest player the Huskies have ever had play for them.

In 2006 he scored a record 10 blocks in a game against Texas Southern.  Voted the 2009 Big East Co-Player of the Year he has opted for an early entrance into the NBA draft and give up his final year of college eligibility.

Gani Lawal is a very strong Nigerian player with Georgia Tech’s Yellowjackets. His strengths lie in is his combination of length, athleticism and activity level at the power forward position, but is considered a player who still has room to improve. 

This could end up being a double-edged sword as coaches try to figure out whether he is ready for the NBA now, or if his game can stand another year of refining on the college scene. His face-up game and jump shot need some work so he might not be in this year, but that remains to be seen.

Chinemelu Elonu is a Nigerian player with Texas A&M’s Aggies.  He is testing out the NBA draft to see what kind of interest he will draw.  He has opted not hired an agent so that he has the option of returning to college if he does not make the cut.

The 6′10″ player leads the school in rebounds and set a school record for field goal percentage.  Like Lawal, he is keeping his options open and has not hired an agent.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up and had him play with them for a little while.  He continued to have a somewhat unillustrious career and was finally released by the Chiefs on August 30, 2008.  Alabi is now a free agent, but it is unclear if his football career is finally over, or if some other team will pick him up.

His cousin, Ndukwe Dike “N.D.”  Kalu, plays for the  Houston Texans.

According to Coach Tunde Johnson, Ultimate FC could not perform creditably in Ghana due to the stress of traveling and the lack of basic needs such as training pitch and accommodation for his team. He however hoped to return to Ghana with a better prepared team to redeem the image of his team.

In the 2006 Major League Soccer (MLS) Super Draft, he was picked up in the second round by FC Dallas, and they have yet to regret the decision. He is often put into the game to help with speed and make the defining difference in the Dallas’ team’s game.

This is not Cooper’s first brush with the substance abuse police.  His history dates back to 2002 when he was playing for University of Maine and he was caught with possession of 1000 steroid pills.  He was not penalized as possession of steroids as possession of steroids was not an offense by N.C.A.A. standards.  Consequently he went undrafted in 2002 and was drafted by San Diego in 2003.

It is unfortunate that a man who is considered a considerable talent feels the need to stoop to the use of drugs to improve his game.  Overall the feeling is that he is a great instinctive player, who plays a smart game.  That is all you need to really succeed.  Let’s hope he uses his suspension time to reflect on all he stands to lose if he keeps flirting with enhancement drugs. They can be a dangerous mistress.

Ryan Gomes is a player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA and is of Cape Verdean descent. Gomes almost didn’t get picked in the 2005 NBA draft because the scouts thought he wasn’t quite the right size or have the right abilities but the Celtics decided to take a chance on him because they felt he had a strong work ethic and a great track record, and they weren’t disappointed.

He is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and when he isn’t playing professional basketball, he can be found fundraising for his foundation, Hoops for Heart Health. He started the foundation when he was in college at Providence and a student from Connecticut collapsed and died on the court. If there had been a defibrillator, it might have saved his lifeHe will be hosting a fundraising dinner and golf tournament June 16-17 in Southington to raise money for heart defibrillators. His foundation works in conjunction with Parent Heart Watch and Cardiac Science Corp. to put defibrillators in gymnasiums, schools, and recreation centers. To date he has raised enough money for 15 defibrillators in 13 cities.

Although Gomes doesn’t play golf, he plans to put his best foot forward! That should be interesting.

Nazr Tahiru Mohammed is a center and power forward for the Charlotte Bobcats. At 6 ft 10 in and 250 lb he is a formidable character on the court. Surprising agile for his height and weight, he manages to be quick footed on the courts, moving with great agility. A consistent free-thrower (he averaged 78.5% in the 2005-2006 season), he is also aggressive in rebounds.

This Ghanian player has had a remarkable record starting with his days at University of Kentucky where he was instrumental in their ending up in the finals for two years in a row.

He decided to go pro in 1998 in his senior year and was selected by the Utah Jazz who traded rights to the Philadelphia 76ers. He played for the 76ers for two and a half seasons, then went to the Atlanta Hawks, followed by the New York Knicks, and then the San Antonio Spurs where he won the 2005 NBA title. He then moved to the Detroit Pistons where he played for a while until Chris Webber took over his position.

In December 2007 he traded to the Charlotte Bobcats where he has made a strong showing. He will be one to watch in 2008 to see if he can help the Bobcats be strong contenders in the new season.