Sa Brahima Traore

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Sa Brahima Traoré

| image = Sa Brahima Traore.jpg

| caption = Sa Brahima Traore in 2005

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|03|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bobo-Dioulasso, Republic of Upper Volta

| height = 1.78 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub =

| years1 = 1998–1999

| clubs1 = Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 2000–2001

| clubs2 = RC Bobo

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 2002–2003

| clubs3 = Ottawa Wizards

| caps3 = 29

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2005–2006

| clubs4 = Oakville Blue Devils

| caps4 = 40

| goals4 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2001

| nationalteam1 = Burkina Faso

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Sa Brahima Traore (born 13 March 1982) is a Burkinabé former international footballer who played the majority of his career in North America and Africa.

Club career

Traore began his professional career in his native Burkina Faso in the Burkinabé Premier League with Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou. With Ouagadougou he managed to win the Coupe du Faso in 1999. In 2000, he was transferred to RC Bobo where he played for two seasons. The following year he went abroad to Canada to sign with the Ottawa Wizards of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsl.ca:80/gallery/ottawa_wizards.asp|title=CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League|last=|first=|date=25 December 2002|website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021225094528/http://www.cpsl.ca/gallery/ottawa_wizards.asp|archive-date=25 December 2002|url-status=dead|access-date=24 December 2017|df=}} Throughout the 2002 season he assisted the club by clinching their division title, and winning the Open Canada Cup.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports02/02cpsl99.htm|title = Result of Sunday September 29th, 2002 CPSL game between Ottawa Wizards and Toronto Croatia played at Cove Road in London at 3:15 pm. This was the Final of the CPSL Canada Cup.|date = 29 September 2002|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = |last = Glover|first = Robin}} In the post season he appeared in all the playoff matches and reached the finals where the club faced the North York Astros, where the Wizards ended up winning the playoff title in a 2–0 victory.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports02/02cpsl1m.htm|title = Result of the Sunday October 20th, 2002 CPSL game between North York Astros and Ottawa Wizards played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York. This was the Finals of the Rogers Playoff Cup.|date = 20 October 2002|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = |last = Glover|first = Robin}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports02/02cpsl2h.htm|title = The Ottawa Citizen; with files from Canadian Press|date = 21 October 2003|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = The Ottawa Citizen|last = Desaulniers|first = Darren}} He posted 14 clean sheets and allowed only 16 goals in 24 games - ranking Ottawa first with the fewest goals conceded.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports02/02cpsl2m.htm|title = Ottawa Citizen: Pro style Wizards conjure up soccer success|date = 28 October 2003|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = Ottawa Citizen|last = Clearly|first = Martin}}

In 2003, Traore saw limited action due to the acquisition of Simon Eaddy, as Ottawa went undefeated the entire season clinching their third consecutive division title. The achievement marked the second time in CPSL history that a team went undefeated in a season. He was released from his contract in 2004 as the CPSL revoked the Ottawa franchise from the league.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports03/03cpsl6o.htm|title = October 9, 2003 CPSL discipline for Ottawa Wizards from CPSL website|date = 9 October 2003|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = CPSL media release|last = |first = }} In 2005, Traore signed with expansion franchise the Oakville Blue Devils.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports05/05cpsl67.htm|title = Result of the Sunday August 7th, 2005 CPSL game between Oakville Blue Devils and London City played at Bronte Stadium in Oakville at 6:00pm.|date = 7 August 2005|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = |last = Glover|first = Robin}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsl.ca/teams.asp?id=12|title=Canadian Soccer League - Clubs|last=|first=|date=5 October 2006|website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005120518/http://www.cpsl.ca/teams.asp?id=12|archive-date=5 October 2006|url-status=|access-date=27 September 2018}} He assisted Oakville in finishing second in the Western Conference in the process clinching a playoff berth. In the postseason he played in all three matches leading the Blue Devils to the finals of the CPSL championship match. He featured in the finals match where Oakville faced the Vaughan Shooters winning the game to a score of 2–1.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports05/05cpsl2m.htm|title = Result of the Monday October 10th, 2005 CPSL game between Vaughan Shooters and Oakville Blue Devils played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 4:00pm. This was the CPSL Championship game.|date = 10 October 2005|accessdate = |website = Rocket Robin`s Home Page|publisher = |last = Glover|first = Robin}} The victory marked a milestone in CPSL history making Oakville the first expansion team to win the CPSL championship in their debut season. Traore returned to the Greater Toronto Area club for the 2006 season.{{Cite web|url = http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports06/06cpsl64.htm|title = Result of the Sunday July 2, 2006 Open Canada Cup game between two CSL teams, Italia Shooters and Oakville Blue Devils played at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:00pm.|date = 2 July 2006|accessdate = |website = Rocket robin`s Home Page|publisher = |last = Glover|first = Robin}} In 2006, he helped the Blue Devils claim their first division title by finishing first in the standings, but unfortunately their postseason came to an early conclusion in the quarterfinals losing out to the Windsor Stars.

International career

Traore played for the Burkina Faso national team in 2001, where he made his international debut in a match against South Africa in a World cup qualifier match.{{Cite web|url = http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/40711/Sa_Brahima_Traore.html|title = National Football Teams Sa Brahima Traoré|date = |accessdate = |website = National Football Teams|publisher = |last = |first = }}