Depending on where you look, Alsadiq Hasan’s hometown is listed as either Baghdad, Iraq, or St. Louis, Missouri.
Some websites claim him as Iraqi, others as American.
All are correct.
Once you learn the history of the steady Fort Wayne FC defender, it makes sense – as does his joy at being able to play soccer at one of the highest levels in the country.
“I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and I came (to the United States) as a refugee in 2014,” Hasan said. “We immigrated here, my whole family, and I’m a citizen now. We immigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, and I’ve been here for more than 10 years and I’m an American citizen, but I also hold Iraqi citizenship as well.”
Hasan, now 25, has a clear passion for playing organized soccer because he didn’t always have to ability to play the sport in a structured setting. Growing up in Iraq, his soccer playing was limited to the streets in a nation besieged by war.
“I’d always been in wars my whole life, and it was always on the street, just playing soccer in the street, until I came to St. Louis and played for my first academy – St. Louis Gallagher – and from there I played in college and (professionally) in USL League One and now I’m here,” said Hasan, whose Fort Wayne FC team (4-0-1) hosts the Dayton Dutch Lions (0-3-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium.
Hasan, who came to the United States with five other family members, acknowledged that as a youngster in Iraq he dreamed of the soccer-playing opportunities he got once he began living in Missouri.
And they’ve paid off.
He played college soccer at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois, from 2019 to 2022 and was a two-time All-Conference Selection. From 2022 to 2023, he played at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and helped the team to an undefeated regular season, and regular-season and tournament championships in the Ohio Valley Conference, and he was a First Team All-Conference Selection in 2023. Hasan was named the 24th recipient of the Jack Blake Award, given annually to the student-athlete who most embodies the qualities that defined SIUE Hall of Famer Jack Blake.
In 2024, he played five games – including three starts – in USL League One for South Georgia Tormenta FC.
While the roots of his game were planted in Iraq, his skills were cultivated in St. Louis, and the combination of it all has taken him to great heights in the sport.
“Every soccer player’s dream is to play for an academy one day and for me, having grown up in the streets, it was great,” Hasan said. “I’d been playing the whole time, but I was 14 or 15 years old when I first played for an academy. It was awesome. There was an adjustment – I didn’t speak the language and had to slowly learn English – but the soccer came naturally and I was thankful for that.”
Hasan has excelled for Fort Wayne FC; his deft pass set up Matthew Catavolo’s goal that gave Fort Wayne FC the lead in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over West Virginia United in Charleston, West Virginia.
His leadership has also stood out, though Fort Wayne has a bevy of leaders such as captain Tiago Dias, Reid Sproat, Tavio D’Almeida and Aurie Briscoe.
“For as long as I can remember, every team I’ve been on I’ve been a captain,” Hasan said. “It’s good being on that side of the game almost my entire career, but I am enjoying right now not just being leader No. 1. We do a good job on this team as a whole. We have older guys and a lot of leaders on the team. And it’s not only on the field, we have a lot of stuff off the pitch that we, as leaders, take care of and it’s been fun.”
About Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC, founded in 2019, is currently a pre-professional club in USL League Two’s Valley Division in the Central Conference. The club won Valley Division championships in 2023 and 2024. Fort Wayne FC is moving to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026 at a new state-of-the-art stadium. www.fortwaynefc.com
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.
