Mallan Roberts

Background

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Roberts began playing soccer in Sierra Leone before continuing to play the game in Edmonton, Alberta after he and his father fled from Sierra Leone due to the Sierra Leone Civil War.

Career

Youth

While in high-school Roberts started to play Canadian Football for his high-school side and then for the local Canadian Junior Football League side, the Edmonton Huskies. He also spent a few weeks training with Canadian Football League side, the Edmonton Eskimos before going back into soccer and playing with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology soccer team before joining the Football Club Edmonton reserves in 2012. Football Club Edmonton

On 20 February 2013 it was announced that Roberts had signed his first professional contract with Football Club Edmonton of the North American Soccer League.

He then made his professional debut for Football Club Edmonton in a Canadian Championship match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club in which started and played the full 90 minutes as Edmonton lost the match 2–3.

Roberts had said he was open to representing either Sierra Leone or Canada. Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone attempted to call up Roberts twice in 2014 for Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, but due to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa, and coaching issues with the team, he was unable to join the squad.

Canada

Roberts was expecting to gain Canadian citizenship sometime during the summer of 2013. Roberts finally received his Canadian citizenship on February 12, 2015.

He made his debut in the return leg against Dominica as a late substitute on June 16 and as a result, became cap-tied to Canada.

Achievements

• Roberts then scored his first professional goal of his career on 30 June 2013 against Minnesota United Football Club in an NASL match in which he found the Netto in the 11th minute as Football Club Edmonton went on to win the match 3–1. On June 6, 2015 Roberts received his first call up from Canada coach Benito Floro to the senior squad for two 2018 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup qualification matches against Dominica as a replacement for an injured Dejan Jaković.