With the fifth pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Columbus Crew SC selected Alhassan “Lalas” Abubakar from the University of Dayton.
After giving up 58 goals during the 2016 Major League Soccer season, tied for the second-worst in the league, head coach Gregg Berhalter’s offseason signings focused on shoring up the Crew SC defense. Along with Homegrown signing Alex Crognale and veteran Josh Williams, Abubakar will compete to unseat Crew SC’s starting center-backs and provide much needed depth to a previously shallow position.
At 6-foot, 180 pounds, Abubakar is a physically imposing presence, and Dennis Currier, Abubakar’s coach at Dayton, knew that Lalas was a player Dayton needed immediately after watching Lalas play.