LANSING, Mich. — Ali Ahmad’s earliest memory of soccer is when he was kicking a ball around in the street after his family moved to the United States.
Ahmad’s family moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan and then from Pakistan to the U.S. by the time he was 11 years old.
He finds that his hardworking nature comes from his family.
“I made it out of Afghanistan, my whole family, everyone in my family is hardworking,” Ahmad said. “I lost my dad when I was 7 years old, so I would try to stay hardworking, overachieving. For someone that used to be where I was, now in America, playing for Lansing Common, playing semi-pro, being a coach, having my own brand, everything.”
When Ahmad isn’t on the field for Lansing Common FC, he’s mentoring the next generation of players.
Ahmad used to dream of being a professional soccer player, but now he dreams of creating pros.
“I want to produce kids that maybe can one day play for Lansing Common or one day go play the higher levels that I dreamed of,” Ahmad said. “That just motivates me.”
Ahmad began coaching about three years ago and has built up his brand, Path2ProFootball. He coaches year-round and has a soccer camp scheduled for June 23-27, with over 50 kids planning to attend.
Ahmad began coaching because he feels that he knows the game and that his time to reach the highest level has passed, so he wants to invest in the next generation to help them achieve their own goals.
On the field, Ahmad is a powerful player. He takes chances and makes smart moves, but a challenge he has faced is staying consistent.
Ahmad explained that he sees a difference between semi-professional players and professional players. Professional players are always consistent, he said. Their consistency comes from them giving it their best every time.
“At the beginning of the game, I do good and then towards the end of the game I start getting cocky and not worry about the little things that really matter more. I look over them just because I feel like I’m having a good game,” Ahmad said.
Before big games, Ahmad keeps his positivity up and takes deep breaths. He ignores the negative things.
“Instead of saying, ‘What if I have a bad game?’ It should always be, ‘I am going to have a good game,’” Ahmad said.
Former Detroit City FC player Cyrus Saydee is the most influential coach Ahmad has had. Saydee was Ahmad’s coach in high school at Lansing Everett.
“He helped me a lot,” Ahmad said. “Not in terms of connection, but training-wise. He taught me the game, and that’s the person I look up to.”
Saydee is among Ahmad’s favorite soccer players. He also looks up to professional soccer player Luka Modrić.
Ahmad isn’t new to Lansing Common. He was previously a player for LCFC in 2023 and made his return this season.
“I think treatment-wise, we have a lot of fans. We get treated very good at Lansing Common,” Ahmad said. “The coaching staff, the players. I loved the first time I was here, so I was like ‘Why not run it back again?’”
Ahmad’s favorite memories with LCFC are both of his first games each season. In both of those games, he scored a goal.
This season, Ahmad has knocked in a pair of goals so far for the Robins.
Ahmad’s advice to young players who hope to reach the position he’s in is to stay positive, work hard and avoid negativity.
