Molham "Mo" Babouli (; born January 2, 1993) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League.
Club career
Toronto FC
Babouli spent time at Sheridan College before joining the TFC Academy in 2014.
He played with the senior academy side in the inaugural season of League1 Ontario, where he led the league in scoring with 27 goals in all competitions.
TFC Academy would go on to win the regular season title and the Inter-Provincial Cup championship against CS Longueuil, the champions of the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec.
He won the Golden Boot and League MVP honours for the 2014 season.
On March 12, 2015, Babouli signed his first professional contract with Toronto FC II ahead of their inaugural season in the USL.
He made his professional debut against the Charleston Battery on March 21, and scored his first goal for the club in the same match.
His performance in the match was rewarded with a USL team of the week appearance on March 24.
On March 5, 2016, Babouli signed with Toronto FC.
He made his MLS debut against Sporting Kansas City on March 20, as a substitute for Tsubasa Endoh.
He returned to Toronto FC II on loan ahead of the 2016 USL season.
On April 21, 2017, the club announced that Babouli had been placed on waivers.
Sigma FC
Babouli signed with Sigma following his release from TFC.
He scored a goal in his debut against Aurora on July 8, 2017.
Al-Ittihad
In September 2017, Babouli joined Syrian club Al-Ittihad of the Syrian Premier League.
They finished in second place in the 2017–18 season, after losing a tie-breaker to Al-Jaish with whom they were level on points.
Mississauga MetroStars
Babouli signed for MASL club Mississauga MetroStars ahead of their inaugural season on November 2, 2018.
In his debut season in the MASL he was named the Newcomer of the Year.
Babouli was announced as the MetroStars' new team captain ahead of the 2019–20 MASL season.
FC Ukraine United
Babouli played in the Canadian Soccer League for the 2019 season with FC Ukraine United.
In his debut match on September 8, 2019 he recorded four goals against Brantford Galaxy.
He recorded his second hat-trick on October 1, 2019 against SC Real Mississauga.
As a result finished as the club's top goalscorer with nine goals and the league's fourth leading goalscorer, despite only playing four games – Mykola Temniuk led the league with 18 goals in 17 games.
In the opening match of the postseason Babouli scored against Hamilton City SC, and advanced to the next round after a penalty shootout.
In the semifinal he contributed another goal in a 5–3 victory against SC Waterloo Region, and advanced to the CSL Championship.
He featured in the finals against Scarborough SC, but in a losing effort.
Forge FC
2020
On August 4, 2020, Forge FC announced the signing of Babouli to a contract.
He made his debut for the Hamilton club as a substitute on August 13 in the 2020 season opener against Cavalry FC.
On September 19, Forge defeated HFX Wanderers FC in the 2020 CPL Final to win the league title.
Babouli assisted on the game's winning goal and was named Man of the match.
2021
Babouli re-signed with Forge for the 2021 Canadian Premier League season.
By winning the 2020 season, Forge qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF League.
In the preliminary round, Forge faced C.D. FAS, and Babouli scored the winning goal in the first leg that Forge would win 3–1.
A 2–2 draw in the second leg meant Forge would advance.
In the next round, Forge faced Panamanian club Independiente.
After a scoreless first leg, Babouli would again send Forge through to the next round by opening the scoring in a 2–0 victory.
The next round, the quarterfinals, pitted Forge against Costa Rican club Santos de Guápiles.
Forge lost the first leg away 3–1, but Babouli played the hero in the second leg, first assisting Omar Browne's goal, and then scoring himself to give Forge the lead on away goals, though Joshua Navarro would later seal the game for Forge by making it 3–0.
This victory sent Forge into the semifinals, and also qualified them for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first ever Canadian Premier league to qualify.
Babouli scored 3 goals and contributed 2 assists in the tournament and was honoured in the Team of the Tournament.
International career
Babouli made his debut for the Canadian program with the U23 side at the 2015 Pan American Games.
He played his first match against Brazil's U23 side and scored a goal in a 4–1 defeat.
Babouli was named to the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship team on September 18, 2015.
In November 2021, he was named to Syria's preliminary squad for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
Personal life
In April 2018, Babouli was detained by the Syrian Military police upon obtaining the Syrian Identity Card, due to the fact that each Syrian male has to do the mandatory military service.
He was released days later after paying the fee required for the exemption of the military duties.
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Honours
Club
Sheridan College
CCAA National Championship: 2014
Toronto FC III
League1 Ontario League Champions: 2014
L1O/PLSQ Inter-Provincial Cup Champions: 2014
Toronto FC
Canadian Championship: 2016
Trillium Cup: 2016
Forge FC
Canadian Premier League: 2020
Individual
League1 Ontario Golden Boot: 2014
League1 Ontario MVP: 2014
Major Arena Soccer League Newcomer of the Year: 2018–19
References
External links
Profile at Canadian Soccer Association.
Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:Association football forwards Category:Canadian soccer players Category:Syrian footballers Category:People from Al Ain Category:Soccer players from Mississauga Category:Canadian people of Syrian descent Category:Canadian expatriate soccer players Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Toronto FC II players Category:Toronto FC players Category:Mississauga MetroStars players Category:FC Ukraine United players Category:Forge FC players Category:League1 Ontario players Category:USL Championship players Category:Major League Soccer players Category:Syrian Premier League players Category:Major Arena Soccer League players Category:Canadian Soccer League (2006–present) players Category:Canadian Premier League players Category:
Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Category:Footballers at the 2015 Pan American Games Category:Homegrown Players (MLS) Category:Pan American Games competitors for Canada Category:Sigma FC players
