Lalas Abubakar made his MLS debut in 2017, and last night against Philadelphia Union, his biggest fan finally got to see him play in person—his mom.
Hailing from Acra, Ghana, Abubakar came to the United States in 2014 to pursue a collegiate soccer career. He registered three seasons at the University of Dayton before beginning his professional career with Columbus Crew in 2017, and at the end of the 2019 season he was traded to the Rapids, where he’s spent the past four seasons.
In a long-awaited reunion, his mother, Amida, and younger sister, Abiba, have made their first cross-Atlantic journeys to the USA to visit the Rapids defender.
The cherry on top of Amida’s visit is that it falls on Mother’s Day, which is the first time since 2014 that mom and son will spend Mother’s Day together.
“I’m really happy to be here at the right time,” Amida said. “This is my first time in the United States, and I’ve never seen Lalas play, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The three of them arrived to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park together at the player entrance door with Amida clad in a burgundy Abubakar kit, while Abiba was styled in the New Day kit. They were met by members of Rapids digital staff, team staff and Apple TV cameramen to capture the moment. After posing for a quick photo, Abubakar escorted his family to their next destination to watch the game.
As expected, Abubakar started the match and played 77 minutes of strong defense on the backline against the 2022 MLS Cup runners-up in a performance that would make any mother proud.
After the game, Amida and Abiba made their way to the field and were greeted by enthusiastic embraces from Abubakar in a special moment.
“This is awesome. It’s beautiful,” Abubakar said. “This is what I’ve been waiting for for so long. I know we lost the game, but this is beautiful to see my mom watching me from the stadium for the first time. This is something I will always cherish.”
