Ray Saari
{{short description|American soccer player (born 1995)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ray Saari
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|4|18}}
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, United States
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}
| position = Midfielder
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 = 2009–2013
| youthclubs1 = Billy Goat FC
| collegeyears1 = 2013–2016
| college1 = Tulsa Golden Hurricane
| collegecaps1 = 69
| collegegoals1 = 12
| years1 = 2013
| clubs1 = Houston Dutch Lions
| caps1 = 9
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2014–2016
| clubs2 = Tulsa Athletic
| caps2 = 27
| goals2 = 12
| years3 = 2017–2018
| clubs3 = Seattle Sounders FC 2
| caps3 = 39
| goals3 = 4
| years4 = 2017
| clubs4 = Kansas City Comets (indoor)
| caps4 = 2
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2019
| clubs5 = Sacramento Republic
| caps5 = 19
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2019–2020
| clubs6 = Kansas City Comets (indoor)
| caps6 = 12
| goals6 = 6
| years7 = 2020–2021
| clubs7 = Oklahoma City Energy
| caps7 = 3
| goals7 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2022–2023
| managerclubs1 = Tulsa Golden Hurricane (assistant)
| medaltemplates =
| club-update = December 16, 2022
| nationalteam-update =
}}
Ray Saari (born April 18, 1995) is an American former professional soccer player.
Early life
Saari was raised in the Kansas City area and attended Oak Park High School. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 15 and underwent several months of chemotherapy before returning to the high school's soccer team.{{cite news |last=Saari |first=Ray |date=September 4, 2018 |title=Soccer Saved Me, Cancer Matured Me: S2 midfielder Ray Saari details his battle overcoming illness |url=https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2018/09/04/soccer-saved-me-cancer-matured-me-s2-midfielder-ray-saari-details-his-battle |publisher=Seattle Sounders FC |accessdate=September 4, 2018}}
Career
=College=
Saari spent his entire college career at the University of Tulsa. He was a starter all four years. He made a total of 69 appearances, and tallied 12 goals and 12 assists. His sophomore season he was named to the American Athletic Conference All-conference team.{{cite web|title=25 - Ray Saari|url=http://tulsahurricane.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5478&path=msoc}} In his senior season despite missing five matches, Saari finished as the team's second leading scorer and earned a spot on the NSCAA All-East region first team.{{cite web|title=2016 NSCAA NCAA Division I Men's All-East Region Teams|url=http://www.nscaa.com/web/Awards/Recipients/2016_NSCAA_NCAA_Division_I_Men_s_All-East_Region_Teams.aspx}}
Saari spent three seasons with NPSL side Tulsa Athletic, playing a pivotal role in winning conference titles in two of his three seasons there. His advanced attacking role with the club yielded nearly a point a game and showcased his creative ability in the final third. Saari is among the all-time point leaders at the club registering 12 goals and 13 assists.
He also played in the Premier Development League for Houston Dutch Lions.{{cite web|title=Houston Dutch Lions – Archive|url=https://www.houstondutchlionsfc.com/archive/|website=HoustonDutchLionsFC.com|publisher=Houston Dutch Lions|accessdate=March 29, 2017}}
=Professional=
On March 22, 2017, Saari signed his first professional soccer contract, joining USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2.{{cite web|title=Sounders FC 2 signs seven players ahead of March 26 season-opener against Sacramento Republic FC|url=http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/03/22/sounders-fc-2-signs-seven-players-ahead-march-26-season-opener-against-sacramento|website=SoundersFC.com|publisher=Sounders FC Communications|accessdate=March 29, 2017|date=March 22, 2017}} He made his professional debut four days later in a 2–1 defeat to Sacramento Republic.{{cite web|title=Sounders FC 2 falls 2–1 to Sacramento Republic FC in season-opening match|url=http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/03/26/sounders-fc-2-falls-2-1-sacrmento-republic-fc-season-opening-match|website=SoundersFC.com|publisher=Sounders FC Communications|accessdate=March 29, 2017|date=March 26, 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328015627/http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/03/26/sounders-fc-2-falls-2-1-sacrmento-republic-fc-season-opening-match|archivedate=March 28, 2017|df=mdy-all}} On September 13, 2018, Saari was released from Seattle Sounders FC 2 having played in 39 matches over two seasons for S2 and recording four goals and six assists.{{cite news|title=Sounders FC 2 releases Ray Saari|url=https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2018/09/13/sounders-fc-2-releases-ray-saari|accessdate=13 September 2018|publisher=Seattle Sounders FC|date=13 September 2018}}
On January 3, 2019, Saari joined USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC.{{cite web|url=https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/981885-energy-fc-returns-harris-to-back-line|title=Energy FC Returns Harris to Back Line|author=USLChampionship com Staff|date=January 3, 2019|website=USL Championship}}
On November 12, 2019, Saari returned to the Kansas City area and signed a contract with the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League.{{cite web |title=Comets Sign Local Standouts |url=https://www.maslsoccer.com/news/comets-sign-local-standouts |website=MASLSoccer.com |accessdate=14 November 2019}}
Saari signed with USL Championship club OKC Energy FC on February 3, 2020.{{cite web |title=Energy FC Signs Midfielder, University of Tulsa Alum Ray Saari |url=https://www.energyfc.com/news_article/show/1083038 |website=EnergyFC.com |accessdate=3 February 2020}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{soccerway|ray-saari/479078}}
- [http://www.soundersfc.com/s2/ray-saari S2 bio]
- [http://tulsahurricane.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5478&path=msoc Tulsa Golden Hurricane bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saari, Ray}}
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Miami Dutch Lions FC players
Category:National Premier Soccer League players
Category:Sacramento Republic FC players
Category:Tacoma Defiance players
Category:OKC Energy FC players
Category:Soccer players from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:Tulsa Athletic players
Category:Kansas City Comets (2010–) players
Category:Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer players
Category:USL Championship players
Category:USL League Two players