Sofiane_Djeffal
Sofiane Djeffal
French footballer
Sofiane Djeffal (born 19 April 1999) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Orange County SC.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sofiane Djeffal | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-04-19) 19 April 1999 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Nantes, France | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Orange County SC | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2018 | Nantes | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Oregon State Beavers | 66 | (20) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Portland Timbers U23s | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | D.C. United | 28 | (0) |
| 2023 | Austin FC | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | Orange County SC | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 01:14, 15 July 2023 (UTC) | |||
Youth
Born in Nantes, Djeffal spent 11 years within local Ligue 1 side FC Nantes's youth academy, where he won a league title at the U17 level.[1][2]
Oregon State Beavers
Ahead of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, Djeffal signed a National Letter of Intent to play college soccer at Oregon State University for the Oregon State Beavers men's soccer program. During his freshman year, Djeffal was an immediate starter in the squad, starting and playing in all 20 matches during his freshman season. During the freshman campaign, he had five goals and seven assists. At the end of his freshman season, he received numerous Pac-12 Conference and national accolades, including being named the Pac-12 Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year, being named to the All-Pac-12 First Team (best XI), and to the TopDrawer Soccer best XI.
He remained a full-time starter in his sophomore season, starting and playing in all 16 matches his sophomore year, having three goals and six assists. During his junior year, he started 10 of the 11 matches, contributing to 6 goals and two assists. He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team both his sophomore and junior season. During his senior year at Oregon State, Djeffal started in all 19 matches, contributing to six goals and six assists. Upon conclusion of the 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, Djeffal was named the Pac-12 Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year[3] and an semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, an annual award for the best college soccer player in the United States.
While at college, Djeffal appeared for USL League Two side Portland Timbers U23s during their 2019 season, making two appearances.[4]
D.C. United
On 11 January 2022, Djeffal was drafted in the second round with the 36th overall pick for D.C. United in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft.[5] After impressing in preseason training, he signed a contract with United on 25 February 2022.[6]
On 26 February 2022, Djeffal made his professional debut for United, coming on in the final 26 minutes in a 3–0 win over Charlotte FC.
Following the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by D.C. United.[7]
Austin FC
On 17 November 2022, Djeffal was selected by Austin FC with the first pick in the MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage 1.[8] He made his debut for the club on March 25, 2023, coming on as a substitution in the second half against the Colorado Rapids.[9]
On 21 May 2023, Djeffal made his first start for Austin, replacing Jhojan Valencia in central midfield. On November 17, 2023, Austin FC announced they would not exercise the 2024 option for Djeffal.[10]
Djeffal was born in the northwest of France and is of Algerian descent.[11]
Club
| Club | Season | Division | League | League Cup | National cup | Continental[lower-alpha 1] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Portland Timbers U23s | 2019 | USL League Two | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| D.C. United | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 28 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| Club Total | 30 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||||
| Austin FC | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Career total | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
- Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
Individual
- mlssoccer. "DC United sign midfielder Sofiane Djeffal after SuperDraft selection | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- dcunited. "The Road Less Traveled: 1-on-1 With Sofiane Djeffal | DC United". dcunited. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- "Pac-12 announces 2021 men's soccer postseason awards". 16 November 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- Timbers RosterArchived February 27, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- Anderson, Jason (11 January 2022). "MLS SuperDraft 2022: D.C. United selects Sofiane Djeffal, Alex Nagy, and Skage Simonsen". Black and Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- "DC United sign midfielder Sofiane Djeffal after SuperDraft selection". MLSSoccer.com. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- austinfc. "Sofiane Djeffal | Austin FC". austinfc. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- "Austin FC Announces Roster Decisions Ahead of 2024 Season". www.AustinFC.com. Austin FC. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- rabah, Farid Kada (18 January 2022). "Un jeune Franco-Algérien formé au FC Nantes file en MLS".
- Sofiane Djeffal at Soccerway