The Columbus Crew has signed free agent defender Jalil Anibaba, the club announced Friday.
Anibaba has started in 214 of the 240 regular-season matches in which he has appeared, scoring seven goals and adding 14 assists.
“Jalil is a veteran player with more than a decade of experience in MLS, and his addition to our roster will help bolster the backline,” said Columbus Crew President & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Jalil is a leader on and off the field, and we’re pleased that a player with the breadth of his experience in MLS chose to sign with the Crew, and we look forward to having him join our team.”
He most recently spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Nashville SC, where he appeared in 21 regular-season games.
Anibaba was selected ninth overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago Fire FC. In his rookie season, he started 27 of 29 regular-season matches in which he set a club record for appearances by a rookie.
Through the 2013 season, Anibaba appeared in 96 regular-season matches for the Fire, scoring four goals and tallying five assists in league play.
In 2014, Anibaba appeared in 16 regular-season matches for Seattle Sounders FC. The following year with Sporting Kansas City, Anibaba appeared in 16 league matches and won his second U.S. Open Cup title.
The right-footed central defender spent two seasons each with Houston Dynamo FC (2016-2017) and New England Revolution (2018-2019) before being selected by Nashville in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft.
He has tallied one assist in nine career MLS Cup Playoff matches.
Anibaba serves as an Executive Board Member for the Black Players for Change organization.