Fadi Afash

Fadi Afash (born 4 January 1974 in Syria) is a former football player, most notably with the Portland Timbers of the USL First Division. Afash is best known among Timbers fans for scoring the "Sunshine Goal", a goal that not only carried a strong emotional connection for many fans[1] but also won the Timbers the 2004 regular-season championship of the USL First Division.[2] On January 22, 2010 he was ranked 15th in the USL Second Division Top 15 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.[3]

Fadi Afash
Personal information
Full name Fadi Afash
Date of birth (1974-01-04) January 4, 1974
Place of birth Aleppo, Syria
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
??–?? Stanislaus County Cruisers ? (?)
??–2001 Utah Blitzz ? (?)
2002–2005 Portland Timbers 53 (27)
National team‡
??–?? Syria ? (?)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:35, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:04, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Playing career

Afash joined the Timbers in 2002 and played through 2005. For much of this time he was the team's leading striker, scoring 27 goals in 53 appearances. He also had spells with the Stanislaus County Cruisers and the Utah Blitzz, where he was named the 2001 USL D3 Pro League MVP.[4]

Arrest and conviction

In January 2007, Afash was sentenced to 17 months in prison for identity theft and other charges related to the theft of an estimated $138,000 from an elderly Washington couple.[5]

References
  1. Grzybowski, Lucas (21 Feb 2011). "USL Memories: The Sunshine Goal". Timbers Army. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 16 Mar 2015.
  2. "Afash back-heel has Timbers at top of the table". The Timber Mill. Soccer City USA. 29 Aug 2004. Retrieved 16 Mar 2015.
  3. "USL-2 Top 15 of the Decade". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  4. Richins, Peter (2001-09-01). "Afash Has His Sights Set on Top Prize". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  5. "NW Briefs". The Seattle Times. 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2009-07-08.


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