Micheal Azira

Micheal Azira (born 22 August 1987) is a Ugandan professional footballer.

Micheal Azira

Personal information
Full name	Micheal Azira
Date of birth	(1987-08-22) 22 August 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth	Kampala, Uganda
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2010	Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders
2011	Mobile Rams
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2011	Mississippi Brilla	28	(5)
2012–2013	Charleston Battery	40	(5)
2014–2015	Seattle Sounders FC	25	(0)
2015	→ Seattle Sounders FC 2 (loan)	1	(0)
2016–2018	Colorado Rapids	66	(0)
2018	→ Colorado Springs Switchbacks (loan)	1	(0)
2018–2019	Montreal Impact	29	(1)
2019–2020	Chicago Fire	10	(0)
2021–2022	New Mexico United	45	(1)
International career‡
2016–2021	Uganda	10	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 October 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 April 2022

Professional career

Azira signed with Charleston Battery of USL Pro in 2012.^{[1][better source needed]} He scored the winning goal for Charleston against Wilmington Hammerheads in the 2012 USL Pro Championship match.^[2] Azira scored six more goals for the Battery in 2013.

Azira was transferred to Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer on 6 March 2014.^[3][4] He made his MLS debut as a substitute against Montréal on 23 March.^[5]

Seattle did not renew Azira's contract following the 2015 season. Azira entered the MLS Waiver Draft in December 2015 and was selected by Colorado Rapids.^[6]

Azira was traded by the Rapids on 8 August 2018 to Montreal Impact for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.^[7]

Azira was traded again in August 2019, this time to the Chicago Fire.^[8] His contract with the club expired at the end of the 2020 season.^[9]

On 1 February 2021, Azira signed with USL Championship side New Mexico United.^[10]

International career

Azira plays for his birth nation of Uganda. Coach Milutin Sredojević selected Azira for the final 23-man roster for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.^[11]

Coaching career

Azira served as head coach for the Daniel Island Soccer Academy U-16 and U-18 Boyz teams in Charleston, South Carolina. He also served as assistant coach at UMS-Wright in Mobile, Alabama for two seasons, helping lead them to a state title in 2011.^[12]

Personal life

Azira previously held a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.^[13]

On 9 October 2021, Azira was naturalized as an American citizen in Albuquerque.^[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 April 2022^[15]

Club	Season	League			Domestic Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Mississippi Brilla	2010	USL PDL	10[16]	0	—		0	0	—		10	0
	2011		15[17]	5	—		2[a]	0	—		17	5
	Total		25	5	—		2	0	—		27	5
Charleston Battery	2012	USL Pro	14	0	0	0	3[b]	1	—		17	1
	2013		26	5	2[c]	0	2[b]	2	—		30	7
	Total		40	5	2	0	5	3	—		47	8
Seattle Sounders U-23	2013	USL PDL	1	1	0	0	—		—		1	1
Seattle Sounders FC	2014	MLS	14	0	5[c]	0	4[d]	0	—		23	0
	2015		10	0	1[c]	0	2[d]	0	4[e]	0	17	0
	Total		24	0	6	0	6	0	4	0	40	0
Seattle Sounders U-23 (loan)	2014	USL PDL	6	0	—		—		—		6	0
Tacoma Defiance (loan)	2015	USL	4	0	0	0	0	0	—		4	0
Colorado Rapids	2016	MLS	30	0	1[c]	0	4[d]	0	—		35	0
	2017		30	0	1[c]	1	—		—		31	1
	2018		5	0	1[c]	0	—		1[e]	0	7	0
	Total		65	0	3	1	4	0	1	0	73	1
Colorado Springs Switchbacks (loan)	2018	USL	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Montreal Impact	2018	MLS	10	1	0	0	—		—		10	1
	2019		19	0	2[f]	0	—		—		21	0
	Total		29	1	2	0	—		—		31	1
Chicago Fire	2019	MLS	4	0	0	0	—		0	0	4	0
	2020		6	0	—		0	0	—		6	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
New Mexico United	2021	USL Championship	28	1	—		—		—		28	1
	2022		2	0	2[c]	0	—		—		4	0
	Total		30	1	2	0	0	0	—		32	1
Career total			235	13	15	1	17	3	5	0	262	17

1. Appearance(s) in USL PDL playoffs
2. Appearance(s) and goal in USL Pro playoffs
3. Appearance(s) in US Open Cup
4. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup playoffs
5. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
6. Appearance(s) in Canadian Championship

International

As of matches played on 16 July 2019^[18]

Uganda national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2016	1	0
2017	4	0
2018	0	0
2019	5	0
Total	10	0

Honours

Charleston Battery

• USL Pro Championship: 2012

Seattle Sounders

• U.S Open Cup: 2014
• Supporters Shield: 2014