New England Club Wahda United FC Thriving, Providing Platform for African & Middle Eastern Players
–By Alexandria Bordas
When head coach Abdijabar Hersi founded the first UPSL men’s team in Lewiston, Maine in Spring 2023, the word that came to mind was Wahda, which means “togetherness” in Arabic. His goal when creating Wahda United was to bring together players that reflected his own experiences as a Somali immigrant – one of resilience, diversity and a unique approach to playing the sport.
Since launching last year, Coach AJ, as he is known, and his family have built a team that’s doing just that. With over 40 players on their roster, a large percentage of the team is made up of players from all over the world: Syria, Iraq, Kenya, Angola, South Africa and, of course, Somalia. AJ’s father is the team manager of Wahda United and his younger brother, Khalid Hersi, is the team captain.
“I always liked being around diverse teams and as I was pitching the UPSL team I wanted to recruit people from different places,” AJ said. “I see talent all the time and I gravitate to people from other countries.”
His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1998 when AJ was nine years old. Growing up in Atlanta with eight brothers and sisters, AJ said when he started playing soccer, he was surrounded by teammates who were from different cities and countries. As his passion for soccer grew more intensely throughout his youth and into adulthood, AJ eventually transitioned from playing to coaching. At only 35-years-old, his history as a coach is marked with notable achievements at high schools, community colleges and, most recently, as the assistant coach at the University of Southern Maine – a Division III school.
Now, as the head coach at Wahda United, AJ aims to train players with huge ambition: to play professionally and/or play for their country’s national teams. He places an emphasis on possession and a strong defense – building from the back.
When a new player reaches out to AJ asking to join his squad, he doesn’t respond with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, instead he asks them a question in return: What is your goal at Wahda United?
“I have a conversation with them once they reach out and we talk about team goals as well as individual goals, because everyone should have them before they come to play for me,” AJ said.
Defender Enock Citenga has played two seasons with Wahda United. He is 23-years-old, originally from South Africa, with Congolese and English ancestral roots and immigrated with his parents to the U.S. in 2015 where they also settled in Maine. Like AJ, Enock’s passion for soccer couldn’t be stifled, although his father tried to persuade him to pursue a profession in the medical field like he had in South Africa.
Since his father died last year, Enock said he has one main goal: to make his father proud.
“I promised my father I would be a professional soccer player,” Enock said. “If I can accomplish that goal with my dad looking down on me from above, then I will have succeeded.”
After playing one season at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, AJ and Enock connected just as Wahda United was forming. Enock decided playing back home in Lewiston would increase his chances of going pro, so he moved back to Maine in time to compete for the UPSL Spring 2023 season and has been playing ever since.
He said what he loves most about playing for Wahda United is the creative flair each player brings to the team, which he said stems from influences in their home countries outside of the U.S.
“Having so many different players on the team, when you watch us, you can tell there’s a different style to our team,” Enock said. “Our team is so spontaneous and creative, despite our different backgrounds we’re able to connect to each other in our own language.”
Since debuting last spring, Wahda United has been a competitive force within the New England North UPSL conference, finishing second in 2023 and second again in Spring 2024. In the fall the team will move up from Division 1 to Premier.
About United Premier Soccer League
The UPSL was formed in 2011 and occupies the unofficial fourth tier of US Soccer. Across its Premier, Division 1, Womens and Academy divisions there are more than 500 teams competing nationwide. The UPSL is now the largest Pro Development League in North America and is a National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated. UPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the league’s affiliation with USSF. More information about UPSL can be found at www.upsl.com or by following the league on Facebook (facebook.com/upslsoccer), Instagram (@upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer). Contact UPSL: [email protected] / Media: [email protected]