Former Los Angeles Galaxy Star Signs with Hearts of Pine
USL1 Portland Hearts of Pine

Former Los Angeles Galaxy Star Signs with Hearts of Pine

Published on July 1, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release


PORTLAND, Maine - Séga Coulibaly, a 29-year-old French center back who made 49 starts for Los Angeles Galaxy between 2021 and 2023, has signed with Portland Hearts of Pine, the team announced today. The signing is pending league and federation approval, and Coulibaly will be eligible to play against AV Alta FC tomorrow night.

"I am really excited to join the club," said Coulibaly. "It's a new club, but there's a lot of enthusiasm around it. My ambition is to help the club grow by doing great things on the pitch with my teammates, and I can't wait to start this challenge."

Coulibaly signed with French club Rennes II as a 16-year old, and captained the side-which included current Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé-before signing a contract with Rennes' senior team shortly after he turned 20. In all, he made 143 appearances in France with Rennes II, Sedan, Avranches, Nancy, and Rennes before signing with the Galaxy in 2021.

The six-foot-tall center back made his Galaxy debut on June 19, 2021, playing all 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders. He went on to make 17 starts in 2021, playing a key role in shutout wins over Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United, and Houston Dynamo.

Coulibaly made a further 26 starts for Los Angeles in 2022, scoring the match-winning goal in a 2-1 "El Tráfico" win over Los Angeles FC, and helping the Galaxy secure shutouts against New York City FC, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire, Nashville SC, Austin FC, CF Montréal, and Atlanta United as the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the MLS playoffs. He played the full 90 minutes in both of Los Angeles' playoff matches, including anchoring the backline in a shutout win over Nashville in the first round.

His 2023 season was limited to just two starts before a knee injury ended his campaign.

Coulibaly, who was born in Mali and moved to France at age six, has made 20 appearances with France's U16 through 20 sides, alongside the likes of Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy, Chicago Fire winger Jonathan Bamba, and Cameroon international Olivier Kemen.

"It's a credit to the club and the league that a player of his quality and experience would choose to come here," said head coach Bobby Murphy. "We're really excited to have him here. He's going to be a huge addition and he's already fit right in with the group."

Check out the Portland Hearts of Pine Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League One Stories from July 1, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central