Updated October 25, 2019
AT A GLANCE:
MLS CAREER: Veteran MLS defender entering 10th season with 225 combined regular season and postseason appearances…Career regular season totals include 219 games played, 201 starts, six goals, and 14 assists in 18,530 minutes of action…Played in six postseason contests, starting four, and registered one assist…Started 19 of 22 games played, with one goal and two assists, in 2019…Appeared in 31 matches in first season with New England in 2018, including 29 starts at center back…With Houston in 2017, made eight appearances and four starts…Made 30 appearances, with 20 starts, in 2016, recording one assist…With Sporting Kansas City in 2015, made 16 appearances and 14 starts, recording one goal and a career-high four assists…Played in 16 games, with 14 starts with the Seattle Sounders in 2014…With the Chicago Fire in 2013, started all 34 matches, recording one goal with three assists…In 2012, made 33 appearances, including 32 starts, and registered a goal and an assist…In 2011, made 29 appearances, including 27 starts, recording a career-high two goals and an assist.
2019: Totaled 22 appearances and started 19 matches, seeing time in central defense and three starts at left back…Scored one goal with two assists in 1,764 minutes of play…Paced the team with 20 blocks and ranked third with 72 clearances…Eclipsed 200 regular season MLS appearances and games started…Also played all 240 minutes of the club’s U.S. Open Cup campaign…(3/2) at DAL: Started, played 90 minutes, and tallied an assist on Carles Gil’s game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw at FC Dallas to open the 2019 season…(3/30) vs. MIN: Started, played 90 minutes, and scored a 10th-minute headed goal against Minnesota United FC in a 2-1 home win…(4/6) at CLB: Made 200th career MLS appearance in the regular season, a 1-0 loss...(4/20) vs. NY: Helped team to a clean sheet at home...(5/11) vs. SJ: Played 90 minutes at center back in 3-1 home win over San Jose…(5/18) at MTL: Preserved the clean sheet with a goal-line clearance at Montreal…(6/2) at LA: Started and played 90 minutes at center back in a 2-1 road win over LA Galaxy…(7/12) at DC: Recorded second assist of season and eclipsed18,000 career minutes…(8/10) at SEA: Played 90 minutes in 3-3 draw at Seattle...(9/25) at POR: Made first Revolution start at left back…(9/29) vs. NYC: Started at left back in the playoff-clinching win…Marked 200th career MLS start.
2018: Appeared in 31 matches, including 29 starts at center back, one substitute appearance at center back, and one substitute appearance at left back…Recorded second most minutes played among Revolution players with 2,706…Finished season ranked tied for fourth league-wide in blocks with 27…Joined the Revolution as a trialist for the beginning of preseason…Signed to the roster on Feb. 8 after making three appearances in exhibition matches in Florida…Played 54 minutes in a substitute appearance in U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round match at Louisville on June 5…(3/3) at PHI: Made Revolution debut in season opener, logging 63 minutes as a first-half substitute after Antonio Delamea was sent off with a red card…(3/10) vs. COL: Started and played 90 minutes in the 2-1 win…(3/31) at HOU: Made fourth straight start at center back and helped secure a 2-0 away win…(4/6) vs. MTL: Contributed to second consecutive clean sheet in the 4-0 win…(4/21) at CLB: Voted JetBlue Man of the Match in the 2-2 draw…(5/5) at MTL: Made 175th career MLS appearance and tied single-game career highs in shots (3) and shots on goal (2)…(5/19) vs. CLB: Eclipsed 15,000 career minutes played…(6/30) vs. DC: Registered first assist with New England in the 302 win…(8/11) vs. PHI: Made 175th career MLS start…(9/5) at NYC: Named to MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week after helping Revolution secure clean sheet in 1-0 win.
2017 (with Houston Dynamo): Made eight appearances and four starts…Played in four postseason matches and made three starts…Added two U.S. Open Cup starts, playing 120 minutes against North Carolina FC in the Fourth Round and 90 minutes against Sporting Kansas City in the Round of 16…(4/1) vs. NY: Started and played 90 minutes in season debut…(4/8) at NE: Started and played 90 minutes…(4/15) vs. MIN: Started and played 90 minutes…(5/28) at DAL: Made a substitute appearance and logged 12 minutes…(7/22) at DC: Made a substitute appearance, registered 12 minutes…(8/23) at DAL: Made third start of season, played 90 minutes…Postseason: (10/26) vs. SKC: Subbed on and played 79 minutes in the 1-0 win…(10/30) vs. POR: Played all 90 minutes in the scoreless draw…(11/5) at POR: Registered an assist in the 2-1 series-clinching performance…(11/21) vs. SEA: Started and played 28 minutes before being sent off with a red card.
2016 (with Houston Dynamo): Totaled 30 games played and 28 starts with one assist…Played a team-high 2,614 minutes in the regular season…Started 20 of the final 21 matches of the season, including 18 straight from June 18 through Oct. 8… (4/10) vs. SEA: Registered an assist in a 1-1 draw…(5/11) at SJ: Donned the goalkeeper shirt for final 10 minutes of the match…(8/27) vs. DAL: Made 150th career regular season appearance.
2015 (with Sporting Kansas City): Selected by Orlando City SC in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft, then traded to Sporting Kansas City…Appeared in 16 games with 14 starts…Contributed to eight clean sheets…Tallied one goal with a career-best four assists in 1,265 minutes of action…Made 13 consecutive starts from March 21 through June 2…Was on the bench but did not play in one postseason match…Started and played 90 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup Fifth Round win over FC Dallas on July1…(4/5) vs. PHI: scored a goal in the 3-2 win…(5/3) vs. CHI: Recorded a game-winning assist in the 1-0 win…(5/20) vs. NE: Added an assist against the Revolution…(5/29) vs. DAL: First multi-assist game of career with helpers on two of SKC’s four goals.
2014 (with Seattle Sounders FC): Traded to Seattle Sounders FC in January 2014…Appeared in 16 games and made 14 starts in lone campaign with Seattle…Recorded one assist in 1,283 minutes of action…Added one appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs…In U.S. Open Cup play, appeared in four matches with three starts…(4/5) at POR: Notched assist on Kenny Cooper’s goal in a 4-4 draw…Postseason: (11/23) at LA: Saw one minute of action as a substitute against LA Galaxy in a 1-0 loss.
2013 (with Chicago Fire): Started all 34 regular season matches and played all 3,060 minutes, both career bests...Set career high with three assists…Tied for team and league lead in games and minutes played…Scored one goal…Played full 90 minutes in four U.S. Open Cup contests…(4/20) vs. CLB: Recorded the game-winning assist…(5/25) at RSL: Registered an assist in the 1-1 draw…(8/23) vs. SKC: Added second game-winning assist of the season…(10/12) at DAL: Scored lone goal of the season.
2012 (with Chicago Fire): Appeared in 33 matches, starting 32…Notched one goal with one assist in 2,868 minutes…Made first career postseason start and played entire match in Chicago’s U.S. Open Cup overtime loss…(5/9) vs. RSL: Made only substitute appearance of the season, playing 39 minutes…(5/20) at POR: Tallied against Portland in a 2-1 loss…(9/15) vs. MTL: Recorded only assist of the season…Postseason: (10/31) vs. HOU: Started and played 75 minutes in the 2-1 loss.
2011 (with Chicago Fire): Drafted ninth overall in the 201 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago...Appeared in 29 matches, starting 27, and logged 2,500 minutes as a rookie…Played the second-most minutes among Fire defenders…Split time between center back and right back…In U.S. Open Cup action, became one of only two players to appear in all six qualifying and tournament matches, logging 385 minutes…Scored from 40 yards out against Colorado on March 10, a goal that was voted the club’s 2011 Goal of the Year by supporters…(3/19) at DAL: Made MLS debut with a 90-minute outing…(4/17) vs. LA: Notched first career assist in a 2-1 loss…(10/22) vs. CLB: Became the fourth Fire rookie and its first defender ever to tally a brace…Tallied on two first-half headers in the season finale, a 3-2 win.
COLLEGE (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA/SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY): Transferred to the University of North Carolina for his senior season after three years at Santa Clara University…As a senior, appeared in 24 matches while helping the Tar Heels to their third straight NCAA College Cup appearance…Capped college career by earning NSCAA Second Team All-American honors…In 2009, appeared in 20 games and tallied two assists during his final season at Santa Clara …Served as team captain and earned All-WCC honors for the third consecutive season, his second first-team nod…Also selected to the NSCAA All-West Region team…In 2008, appeared in 19 matches with two goals and two assists for the Broncos…Led the team with 34 shots…Named All-WCC Second Team…Was a Soccer America Preseason All-American…As a freshman in2007, started all 22 games, recorded one goal and two assists, and led team in minutes played with 2,035…Notched first career assist vs. Vermont Sept. 2…Moved from midfield to central defense vs. Stanford (9/14) and started at center back in every game thereafter…Team went 13-1-4 in games Anibaba started in central defense…Was the WCC Freshman of the Year and named to All-WCC First Team, as well as the Top Drawer Soccer Team of Season All-Freshman First Team.
NATIONAL TEAM (UNITED STATES): Represented the United States at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels…Traveled to Mexico with the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team in early 2007 and was part of the side that took part in the Pan-American Games that July in Rio de Janeiro.
PERSONAL: Born in Fontana, Calif. …Speaks Spanish…Enjoys playing basketball, listening to music and researching Yoruba music and culture…Vacations in Northern California…Biggest influence is his father…Respects Jay Jay Okocha because of his dribbling abilities and loved to watch the Nigerian National Team because of his heritage…Goes by the nickname “Ja”.
