BRADENTON, Fla. — Nazmi Albadawi had the best offseason of his life, both personally and professionally.
After re-signing with FC Cincinnati ahead of its first season in Major League Soccer, Albadawi also got married and played in his first major international tournament.
Earlier this month, he represented Palestine and played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Palestine concluded group stage play with two points from three matches — an impressive feat for a nation that had never previously earned a point at the tournament.
For Albadawi, he made one start against Australia and a bench appearance against Jordan.
“It was an amazing experience playing in a big international tournament like that and seeing how everything was run,” he said. “But not only that, seeing what it meant to the Palestinian fans that came out to the games was unbelievable. You could see it meant more than a game to them.
“It meant the world to them and for us. We represent a country. To play in front of them meant a lot to me.”
Albadawi made his first international appearance with Palestine on Nov. 16 last year in a match against Pakistan. He scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win.
The performance replicated his success with FC Cincinnati in 2018, when he finished with 11 goals and four assists for the United Soccer League regular-season champions.
But to play in the Asian Cup was a special experience, he said.
Despite eventually losing 3-0 to Australia, the reigning tournament champion, Albadawi said the Palestinian supporters were unbelievable in national pride.
“We were down 2-0 to Australia and our fans were jumping up and down and going crazy the whole time like we were winning the World Cup,” he said. “They were just happy to be there and happy we were representing the country.”
The 2019 Asian Cup was Palestine’s second appearance at the tournament. In 2015, the national team made its debut, but lost all three group matches. The 2019 tournament is still in progress, but Albadawi rejoined FC Cincinnati after Palestine was eliminated in the group stage once more.
But the results didn’t matter. What mattered was Palestine qualified and the midfielder had an opportunity to represent the country in Asia’s biggest soccer tournament.
“During the tournament, I’d see family members I hadn’t seen in a while or seen before,” Albadawi said. “They were coming out and when they met me, they were almost crying because I was representing our country and they were so proud of me. Seeing that really hit home for me.
“Seeing what it meant to other people and what representing Palestine meant to the community in general was big for me. It was amazing and I really hope I get the opportunity again.”
