Mallan Roberts

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Mallan Roberts

| image = CINvRIC 2017-07-09 - Mallan Roberts (40982495665) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Roberts with Richmond Kickers in 2017

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|6|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = Freetown, Sierra Leone

| height = {{height|m=1.88}}

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Centre back

| collegeyears1 = 2011

| college1 = NAIT Ooks

| youthyears1 = 2012–2013

| youthclubs1 = FC Edmonton

| years1 = 2013–2016

| clubs1 = FC Edmonton

| caps1 = 46

| goals1 = 3

| years2 = 2016

| clubs2 = → Ottawa Fury (loan)

| caps2 = 22

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2017–2018

| clubs3 = Richmond Kickers

| caps3 = 43

| goals3 = 1

| years4 = 2019

| clubs4 = Tulsa Roughnecks

| caps4 = 31

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2021–2023

| clubs5 = Heidelberg United

| caps5 = 32

| goals5 = 1

| nationalyears1 = 2015

| nationalteam1 = Canada

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| club-update = August 26, 2022

| ntupdate = 16 June 2015

}}

Mallan Roberts (born 6 June 1992) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre back.

Career

=Youth=

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Roberts began playing soccer in Sierra Leone before continuing to play the game in Edmonton, Alberta after he and his father fled from Sierra Leone due to the Sierra Leone Civil War.{{cite web|last=Sandor|first=Steve|title=FCE's Mallan Roberts: The top CB prospect in Canada is set to become Canadian|url=http://the11.ca/2013/02/08/fces-mallan-roberts-the-top-cb-prospect-in-canada-is-set-to-become-canadian/|work=The 11|accessdate=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822152643/http://the11.ca/2013/02/08/fces-mallan-roberts-the-top-cb-prospect-in-canada-is-set-to-become-canadian/|archive-date=22 August 2013|url-status=dead}} While in high-school Roberts started to play Canadian Football for his high-school side and then for the local Canadian Junior Football League side, the Edmonton Huskies.{{cite web|title=FC Edmonton Sign Five Reserves to Pro Contracts|url=http://nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3751|work=North American Soccer League|accessdate=9 July 2013}} He also spent a few weeks training with Canadian Football League side, the Edmonton Eskimos before going back into soccer and playing with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology soccer team before joining the FC Edmonton reserves in 2012.

=FC Edmonton=

On 20 February 2013 it was announced that Roberts had signed his first professional contract with FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League. He then made his professional debut for FC Edmonton in a Canadian Championship match against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in which started and played the full 90 minutes as Edmonton lost the match 2–3.{{cite web|last=Green|first=Darcy|title=Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeat FC Edmonton 3-2 in the ACC semifinal first leg|url=http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2013/04/vwfc-defeat-fced3-2|work=Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club|accessdate=9 July 2013}} Roberts then scored his first professional goal of his career on 30 June 2013 against Minnesota United FC in an NASL match in which he found the net in the 11th minute as FC Edmonton went on to win the match 3–1.{{cite web|title=FC Edmonton 3 Minnesota United FC 1|url=http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=4910|work=North American Soccer League|accessdate=9 July 2013}}

=Ottawa Fury=

On 4 June 2016 Ottawa Fury FC announced it had acquired Roberts on loan to provide depth in the absence of defenders Kyle Venter and Rich Balchan due to injury.{{cite web|title=Canadian defender Mallan Roberts joins Fury FC on loan|url=http://www.ottawafuryfc.com/news/2016/06/04/canadian-defender-mallan-roberts-joins-fury-fc-on-loan|publisher=Ottawa Fury FC|accessdate=4 June 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624002815/http://www.ottawafuryfc.com/news/2016/06/04/canadian-defender-mallan-roberts-joins-fury-fc-on-loan|archivedate=24 June 2016}} In December 2016, the Fury announced that Roberts would not return to the team as the club moved to USL in 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.ottawafuryfc.com/news_article/show/733796?referrer_id=2824815|title=Fury FC would like to thank non-returning players|publisher=Ottawa Fury FC|author=Ottawa Fury FC Staff|date=December 13, 2016}}

=Richmond Kickers=

After 4 seasons in Edmonton, Roberts signed with Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer League in February 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.richmondkickers.com/home/931257.html|title=Kickers sign Roberts, Wyatt, Fitch|author=Richmond Kickers|date=February 17, 2017}}

=Tulsa Roughnecks=

On January 4, 2019, Roberts joined USL Championship side FC Tulsa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/982150|title = Roughnecks Land Uzo, Roberts|date = 4 January 2019}}

International

Roberts had said he was open to representing either Sierra Leone or Canada.

=Sierra Leone=

Sierra Leone attempted to call up Roberts twice in 2014 for Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, but due to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa, and coaching issues with the team, he was unable to join the squad.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasl.com/article/uuid/uygtts8i8sud112wcq7gagnz8/mallan-roberts-receives-canadian-citizenship#.VOE99i4bXIV|first=Matthew|last=Levine|date= February 13, 2015|title=Mallan Roberts Receives Canadian Citizenship; Reunion With Family On Horizon}}

=Canada=

Roberts was expecting to gain Canadian citizenship sometime during the summer of 2013. Roberts finally received his Canadian citizenship on February 12, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.fcedmonton.com/news/detail/uuid/162dugxkddm1v1xwlnf74nedoy/roberts-is-fc-edmontons-latest-canadian#.VN1Xdy4bXIV|title=Roberts is FC Edmonton's Latest Canadian|date=February 12, 2015}} On June 6, 2015, Roberts received his first call up from Canada coach Benito Floro to the senior squad for two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Dominica as a replacement for an injured Dejan Jaković.{{cite web|url=http://www.fcedmonton.com/news/2015/06/06/eddies-defender-roberts-to-replace-dejan-jakovic-for-canadian-world-cup-qualifying-camp|date=June 6, 2015|title=Eddies defender Roberts to replace Dejan Jakovic for Canadian World Cup qualifying camp}} He made his debut in the return leg against Dominica as a late substitute on June 16 and as a result, became cap-tied to Canada.

Career statistics

=Club=

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|League !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="2"\|League !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|Domestic Cup !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="5"\|FC Edmonton \|rowspan="4"\|NASL \|2013 \|11	1	0	0	2	0	13	1
2014 \|12	1	0	0	2	0	14	1
2015 \|21	1	0	0	4	0	25	2
2016 \|2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
colspan="2"\|Total !46	3	0	0	8	0	54	3
Ottawa Fury (loan) \|NASL \|2016 \|22	1	0	0	0	0	22	1
rowspan="3"\|Richmond Kickers \|rowspan="2"\|USL \|2017 \|30	1	0	0	0	0	30	1
2018 \|13	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
colspan="2"\|Total !43	1	0	0	0	0	43	1
Tulsa Roughnecks \|USL \|2019 \|31	0	0	0	0	0	31	0
rowspan="3"\|Heidelberg United \|rowspan="2"\|NPL Victoria \|2021 \|15	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
2022 \|17	1	0	0	1	0	18	1
colspan="2"\|Total !32	1	0	0	1	0	33	1
colspan="3"\|Career Total !174	6	0	0	9	0	184	6