From Casablanca to Colorado and everywhere in between, the journey to the ranks of Major League Soccer has been an expansive one for midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy. But after moving to America as a teenager and making stops in Denver, Palo Alto, Omaha, and Santa Clara, it seems the Moroccan-born talent has finally found a home base in Colorado after making an impressive professional debut for RSL in 2006.

 

MLS CAREER
2009: Appeared in 28 games, 23 starts, playing a career-high 2,148 minutes with 2 goals and a career-high and team-second 7 assists...T-9th MLS in assists (7), T-8th in corner kicks (67)…Made game-winning assist on corner kick vs. Houston (8/30)…Scored his second goal of the season vs. New York (7/25) on a free kick in the 67th minute. Goal was nominated for MLS Goal of the Week…Played 45 minutes in friendly vs. Club America (7/15)…Posted his sixth assist vs. FC Dallas (7/11)…Set a new single season career-high with his fifth assist vs. FC Dallas (6/24) on Cummings’ game-tying 84th minute goal…Knotted his fourth assist at Real Salt Lake on Omar Cummings’ game-tying goal in the 88th minute…Scored the game winning goal on a penalty kick, his first score of the season, in a 3-2 win over New York (5/30) and added an assist…Started and played 45 minutes at Seattle (5/26) in second U.S. Open Cup play-in match…Tallied second assist of the season vs. Seattle (5/23)…Played in 74 minutes at LA (4/7) in U.S. Open Cup play-in match and scored in penalty kick shootout victory…Credited with a secondary assist, his first assist of the season, at LA (4/4) on the second of Conor Casey’s three goals. Passed the ball to Omar Cummings, who gave it up to Casey for the finish...2008: Ballouchy played his first full season in a Rapids kit in 2008 recording a career high four assists in 12 starts and 18 games played…He played all 90 minutes of his first five consecutive starts…Ballouchy scored his first goal and first assist of the season in the same match in a 4-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on July 4…2007: Started eight of the nine games he appeared in for the Rapids logging 614 minutes…Made his Rapids debut playing 90 minutes on 07/22 at Kansas City…Recorded his first assist of the season on Conor Casey’s goal against Los Angeles on 08/26…Also assisted Casey’s equalizer at Columbus on 09/02…Scored his lone goal of the season on 09/08 at Los Angeles…Started all 14 games he appeared in with Salt Lake before being traded to the Rapids…Played 60 minutes in one game in Reserve Division…2006: Selected as the second pick overall in the first round by Real Salt Lake...Appeared in all 32 games for Real Salt Lake, including 26 starts, while logging 2,162 minutes and tallying two goals along with two assists…Named one of three finalists for the 2006 MLS Gatorade Rookie of the Year Award…One of 10 field players, including teammate Chris Klein, to see minutes in all 32 contests for his squad in 2006…Made MLS debut in the starting XI on 4/02 at Chivas USA, playing 73 minutes in a 3-0 defeat…Notched first career MLS assist on 4/29 vs. Los Angeles, coming off the bench to help on Atiba Harris’s 74th minute goal in a 3-2 loss…His first career MLS goal on 5/20 vs. Kansas City in the 78th minute sparked RSL to a 2-1 comeback win…His assist on 9/09 at D.C. United on Klein's 65th minute tally helped RSL salvage a road point out of a 1-1 draw against the Eastern Conference leaders…His goal on the hour mark on 10/07 vs. Houston led RSL to a 1-1 draw against the eventual MLS Cup champs…Also made three substitute appearances for RSL’s Reserve Division side, logging 118 minutes of action.

 

NATIONAL TEAM
Ballouchy was a member of the Moroccan U-17 and U-16 National Teams prior to moving to the United States at the age of 16.

 

COLLEGE
Decided to forgo his senior year and enter the Major League Soccer SuperDraft...Selected as the second pick overall in the first round by Real Salt Lake...The highest overall pick ever from Santa Clara…2005: Scored a goal and notched seven assists while starting 21 of Santa Clara's 22 contests in his junior season…Accolades included First-Team All-American nods from the NSCAA/adidas Men's Division I, Soccer America, Soccer Times and College Soccer News…West Coast Conference Player of the Year and First-Team All-WCC selection…One of 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy Award…First-Team NSCAA Far West All-Region selection…2004: Started all 20 appearances in his first season for the Broncos as a sophomore…All-WCC First-Team honoree and Third-Team NSCAA/adidas Men’s Division I All-American…Tallied 15 points on three goals and a team-high nine assists (second in WCC)…Earned diadora Classic MVP and WCC Player of the Week honors in his first weekend as a Bronco after scoring two goals and an assist…Named the WCC Player of the Month for September after posting double digit points and four assists…2002: Started 20 of 24 contests for Creighton University during his freshman season, scoring five goals and four assists while earning College Soccer News' Freshman All-American Team, Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team and NSCAA All-Midwest First-Team honors…Helped lead the Bluejays to the NCAA College Cup semifinals and the MVC Tournament championship…Named to the All-MVC Tournament Team.

 

PERSONAL
Born in Morocco…Parents are Driss and Malika Ballouchy…Has an older sister and older brother…Father is a former French second division player…Hobbies: listening to music, watching soccer and hanging out with friends…Major in college was finance…Favorite Music: enjoys a little bit of everything…Favorite Movies: Scarface and Gladiator…Favorite Food: Moroccan, Italian and Mexican…Favorite Book: “Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona” by Jimmy Burns and “It's Not about the Bike” by Lance Armstrong…Favorite TV Show: That 70s Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien…Favorite athlete outside of soccer: Lance Armstrong…A 2002 graduate of Henry Gunn High School in Palo Alto, Calif., which he attended for his senior season…Spent junior season at South High School in Denver…Earned all-league honors while at South…Played at Yassine High School in Casablanca, Morocco, in first two prep seasons, earning All-League honors both years in 1998 and 1999…Named MVP for club team in Raja, Morocco…Played in youth program of the local professional team, Raja Casablanca.

 

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