TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Athletic announced striker Aboubakr Diallo will return for his second season with the club as he became the fourth announced addition to the roster for the 2021 NPSL season.
Diallo, a native of Oyem, Gabon, played for Tulsa Athletic in the 2019 season where he appeared in all 14 matches for the Heartland Conference champions. In 13 starts as a forward, Diallo tallied five goals, ranking third on the team, with two game-winning strikes. Diallo finished with a brace in a 3-1 win over Ozark FC during the 2019 campaign. During the South Region Finals, Diallo gave the green and yellow an early 1-0 lead against Miami FC, the eventual NPSL champion. For the season, Diallo totaled 936 minutes in his 14 appearances.
Diallo played collegiately at Oklahoma City University where he had a breakout senior season for the Stars in the fall of 2018. He scored a team-high 21 goals in only 15 contests during his senior campaign. Diallo was named a third team All-American as he ranked ninth in the NAIA in goals scored and 10th in points among the NAIA in the 2018 season. The striker added eight assists for a total of 50 points during his final collegiate season.
The striker was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year after leading the conference in points per game (3.33), points (50), shots per game (4.67), shots on goal per game (2.87), goals per game (1.40) and goals (21). He tied for fourth in the league in game-winning goals with three. Diallo was twice named the SAC Offensive Player of the Week during the 2018 season.
Twice Diallo tallied four goals in a match in 2018 to tie for the most goals by an individual in the league during the 2018 season. Diallo scored all four goals in a 4-3 victory over John Brown (Ark.) and added four more goals and two assists in a 9-0 win over Bacone.
During his junior campaign, Diallo was named All-Sooner Athletic Conference Second Team as he registered six goals and five assists in 18 contests. He started in 18 matches and posted 49 shots and 24 shots on goal. The junior totaled a brace with two goals against Texas A&M-Texarkana.
Before OCU, Diallo played at Rose State where he tallied 12 goals and four assists during his sophomore season. He was named the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player and All-Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference. The striker started and played in all 17 matches as a sophomore.
In his first collegiate season, he made 16 starts with 18 appearances. For the year, Diallo registered 10 goals, two assists and 22 points.
Diallo has previous NPSL experience as he played the 2017 season with the Demize NPSL in the Heartland Conference. He made eight starts and appeared in nine contests during the 2017 campaign. The striker totaled a brace with two goals against Tulsa Athletic, including the game winner. For the 2017 season with Demize, he scored three goals and played 561 minutes.
Tulsa Athletic opens the 2021 season on May 1 at Arkansas Wolves in Little Rock, Arkansas. The home opener is on May 16 against OKC 1889 at Veterans Park at 2 p.m.
