Indy Eleven continued to bolster its roster with valuable experience on June 11 with the signing of Guinean international forward Souleymane Youla.
The well-traveled Youla has spent most of his 17 professional seasons playing for top division teams in Belgium, Turkey and France, including with some of those countries’ most recognizable clubs such as Lille (France), Anderlecht (Belgium) and Besiktas (Turkey).
The 34-year-old forward most recently played for Hungarian First Division side Budapest Honved FC, having scored 14 goals in 55 appearances. Throughout his career, Youla has scored 108 goals in more than 350 matches across various competitions.
Youla's full club itinerary includes stops in Belgium (Anderlecht, Lokeren, Sint-Niklaas, Tournai), Turkey (Besiktas, Genclerbirligi, Eskisehirspor, Denizlispor) and France (Lille, Metz, Amiens) since turning professional in 1999.
Youla also made 33 appearances for the Guinean Men’s National Team at the senior level, scoring 11 goals. While a native of Guinea, Youla also gained Turkish citizenship in recent years, having spent nine seasons playing in the country
Youla on joining Indy Eleven (June 2016): “I’m very happy to come to Indianapolis to join a very good club in Indy Eleven. I’m looking forward to scoring goals for this team and believe we can bring a championship to our fans this year. When I visited last month I really liked the city and thought there was great leadership within the club, so I’m excited to see what the future holds here.”
Head coach Tim Hankinson on the Youla signing (June 2016): “The signing of Youla is a continuation of the club’s approach of bringing in experienced, proven players that are expected to produce results. What we saw in Youla when we brought him in last month is a player who is dangerous in and around the goal area and can finish in a multitude of ways.”
Year | Team | GP | GS | SI | SO | Min | G | A | Sh | Y | R |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Indy Eleven | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 492 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
TOTAL | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 492 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | SI | SO | Min | G | A | Sh | Y | R |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Indy Eleven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date | Type | Match | Result | Appear | Min | G | A | Sh | Y | R |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/30/2016 | Regular Season | OKC v IND | L 2 - 1 | Start | 90 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
10/15/2016 | Regular Season | IND v NCFC | W 3 - 0 | Sub In | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
10/12/2016 | Regular Season | JAX v IND | D 0 - 0 | Sub In | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
08/31/2016 | Regular Season | NYC v IND | L 3 - 0 | Start | 55 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
08/28/2016 | Regular Season | OTT v IND | D 1 - 1 | Sub In | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
08/20/2016 | Regular Season | NCFC v IND | L 3 - 2 | Start | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
08/13/2016 | Regular Season | IND v OKC | W 2 - 1 | Start | 78 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
08/06/2016 | Regular Season | IND v OTT | W 1 - 0 | Start | 64 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
08/03/2016 | Regular Season | IND v JAX | W 5 - 2 | Sub In | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
07/16/2016 | Regular Season | MNU v IND | L 2 - 0 | Sub In | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
07/13/2016 | Regular Season | IND v FTL | W 3 - 0 | Sub In | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
07/09/2016 | Regular Season | IND v MNU | W 1 - 0 | Sub In | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
07/02/2016 | Regular Season | PRFC v IND | D 1 - 1 | Sub In | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |