The Richmond Kickers announced today that rookie midfielder Joseph Haboush has left the team to sign with Al-Safa SC of the Lebanese Premier League. Al-Safa has been the champions of the Lebanese league the past two seasons and Haboush will join them in time to participate in the AFC Cup, which is Asia’s Champions’ League. One of his teammates in Beirut will be Ibrahim Toure, who is the younger brother of Yaya and Kolo Toure.
Haboush was signed in February to be a contender for the central attacking midfielder position and started the first game of the season in that position; however, when Joseph Ngwenya was signed in April, any opportunities for playing time were severely limited. With Nate Robinson now in Finland, Haboush leaving for Lebanon, and an unknown number of changes still to come to the team, it will be a wild offseason for the Kickers. However, it does please me to see Kickers’ alums moving up in the soccer world, which both shows the talents of Leigh Cowlishaw as a coach and the respectability of the Kickers as an overall organization. Best wishes to Haboush in Beirut!
Before Extra Time 