Bakary Soumaré

Chicago Fire

Soumaré was drafted 2nd overall by the Chicago Fire in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. After appearing on a substitute bench several times, Soumaré made his debut, coming on for Brian Plotkin, in a 0–0 draw against Real Salt Lake on 27 May 2007; on 1 July 2007, Soumaré received a straight red card for a violent conduct in a 0–0 draw against Colorado Rapids. He since established himself in the first team. During the 2008 season, Soumaré scored an own goal against the team, which he played his first game against, in a 1–1 draw on the opening game of the season. Despite this, he was later nominated for the MLS Defender of the Year award, alongside Jimmy Conrad and eventual winner Chad Marshall. On 31 May 2009, Soumaré's aggressive on-field play continued as he received a red card after a second bookable offence in a 3–0 loss against Dallas. In August 2009, Soumaré was fined for being involved in a fight with manager Denis Hamlett during the half-time interval of their game against Houston Dynamo.

France

In August 2009, Soumaré joined French club US Boulogne on a four-year contract, for a reported fee of $2.200.000 Soumaré made his debut for the club on 19 August 2009, in a 2–0 loss against Ligue 1 champion Bordeaux. On 20 March 2010, Soumaré received a straight red card in a 3–0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain. At the end of the season Boulogne was relegated to Ligue 2 while Soumaré was promoted as captain ahead of the new season. Soumaré scored his…

Club

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Born in Bamako, Mali, Soumaré moved as a two-year-old to France with this family, growing up in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. At sixteen he left France for New York City where he attended the Catholic high school La Salle Academy for four years, eventually earning a degree. Through an athletic scholarship he was then able to go to the University of Virginia where he stayed for three semesters until he was drafted into MLS.

Soumaré is a triple citizen of Mali, France and the United States.