Minnesota United announced today that the club has signed eMLS player ‘LAMPS’, Ehsan Zakeri, to a new two-year contract. 2022 was ‘LAMPS’ first season representing Minnesota United as well as his first season competing in eMLS, in which he was the eMLS League Series 2 champion before reaching the Round of 16 Knockout Stage at the FIFAe World Cup 2022. MNUFC first signed Zakeri in December of 2021.
“I am happy to be back for another two years and extremely motivated to build on last year’s successes,” said Zakeri. “I’m glad I was able to represent Minnesota United on such a big platform this past season, and I am really excited to continue to showcase my skills against not only other eMLS competitors, but also against my fellow counterparts around the world.”
This season, ‘LAMPS’ achieved notable success on a national and global scale. In February, the 19-year-old won eMLS League Series 2, where he then advanced to the eMLS Cup 2022 semifinals, falling to DC United’s KingCJ0. This summer in July, ‘LAMPS’ advanced from the EA FIFA 22 Global Series Playoffs in London, England to the 32-player FIFAe World Cup 2022, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Competing in Group A, Zakeri went 6-5-3 (W-L-D), scoring 26 goals and finishing third in the group with 23 points to advance to the Round of 16 knockout matches. During his Knockout Stage contest, ‘LAMPS’ fell just short to Nicolas99FC of Argentina, losing 3-2 on aggregate. His appearance in the tournament marked the furthest that a Minnesota United eMLS player has qualified in any EA competition.
Before joining Minnesota United, ‘LAMPS’ – who hails from Long Island, New York – began his competitive play in esports soccer with FIFA 20. Prior to joining MNUFC, ‘LAMPS’ competed for Sporting Kansas City as their second player in eMLS and FIFAe competitions. Zakeri has notably won major tournaments in FIFA 21 and FIFA 22, all while being a student at Stony Brook University. See below for a full list of ‘LAMPS’ FIFA 22 accomplishments and finishes:
- North America FIFA Global Series 1 Winner
- North America FIFA Global Series 2 Third Place
- North America FIFA Global Series 3 Runner Up
- eMLS League Series 1 Top Eight
- eMLS League Series 2 Winner
- eMLS Cup Top Four
- Ranked second in North America FIFA Global Series leaderboards
- eUSMNT Representative
- Qualified for FIFA Global Series Playoffs, played in the top 24 FIFA Global Series Playoffs
- Qualified for FIFAe World Cup 2022 - Top 16 FIFAe World Cup
