# 2008–09 USM Alger season

In the 2008–09 season, USM Alger competed in the Division 1 for the 31st time, as well as the Arab Champions League and the Algerian Cup. It was their 14th consecutive season in the top flight of Algerian football.

## Squad list

Players and squad numbers last updated on 28 May 2009. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Position | Name | Date of Birth (Age) | Signed from | Apps. | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 27 | GK | Merouane Abdouni | (1981-03-27)27 March 1981 (aged 27) | MC Alger | 61 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | Ahmed Walid Chouih | (1982-02-10)10 February 1982 (aged 26) | USM El Harrach | 32 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche | (1985-03-19)19 March 1985 (aged 23) | Youth system | 120 | 0 |
| 40 | GK | Ismaïl Mansouri | (1988-01-07)7 January 1988 (aged 20) | Youth system | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 12 | LB | Mohamed Amine Saidoune | (1989-02-26)26 February 1989 (aged 19) | Youth system | 10 | 0 |
| 3 | LB | Akram Benaoumeur | (1981-07-24)24 July 1981 (aged 27) | OM Arzew | 26 | 0 |
| 25 | LB | Nacerdine Bensaci | (1985-05-13)13 May 1985 (aged 23) | MO Constantine | 17 | 0 |
| 26 | CB | Sofiane Harkat | (1984-01-26)26 January 1984 (aged 24) | JS Kabylie | 13 | 0 |
| 3 | CB | Mohamed Amine Zidane | (1983-10-05)5 October 1983 (aged 25) | MC Oran | 59 | 2 |
| 2 | RB | Larbi Hosni | (1981-02-11)11 February 1981 (aged 27) | MC Alger | 15 | 0 |
| 4 | CB | Ali Rial | (1980-03-26)26 March 1980 (aged 28) | NARB Réghaïa | 61 | 9 |
| 14 | LB | Zineddine Mekkaoui | (1987-01-10)10 January 1987 (aged 21) | Youth system | 44 | 1 |
| 20 | CB | Nacereddine Khoualed | (1986-04-16)16 April 1986 (aged 22) | US Biskra | 62 | 1 |
| 13 | CB | Daniel Moncharé | (1982-01-24)24 January 1982 (aged 26) | Cotonsport Garoua | 72 | 1 |
| 30 | RB | Islam Adel Aït Ali Yahia | (1987-04-13)13 April 1987 (aged 21) | Youth system | 44 | 0 |
| 15 | RB | Mohamed Billel Benaldjia | (1988-08-23)23 August 1988 (aged 20) | Youth system | 12 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 10 | AM | Amar Ammour | (1976-09-10)10 September 1976 (aged 32) | ASM Oran | 221 | 49 |
| 8 | CM | Billel Dziri | (1972-01-21)21 January 1972 (aged 36) | CS Sedan Ardennes | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DM | Karim Ghazi | (1979-01-06)6 January 1979 (aged 29) | Espérance de Tunis | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | AM | Saïd Sayah | (1989-07-21)21 July 1989 (aged 19) | Youth system | 18 | 0 |
| 17 | DM | Moké Diarra | (1983-11-12)12 November 1983 (aged 25) | FC Gueugnon | 10 | 0 |
| 23 | LM | Abdessamad Habbache | (1989-02-16)16 February 1989 (aged 19) | Youth system | 11 | 0 |
| 32 | AM | Wuiwel Isea | (1982-01-01)1 January 1982 (aged 27) | WA Casablanca | 14 | 1 |
| 21 | DM | Abdelkrim Oudni | (1982-08-11)11 August 1982 (aged 26) | CA Bordj Bou Arreridj | 24 | 1 |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 28 | | Aghilès Benchaâbane | (1989-09-13)13 September 1989 (aged 19) | Youth system | 5 | 1 |
| 37 | | Nouri Ouznadji | (1984-12-30)30 December 1984 (aged 24) | JS Kabylie | 7 | 1 |
| 19 | | Mouaouia Meklouche | (1990-11-03)3 November 1990 (aged 18) | Youth system | 5 | 0 |
| 23 | | Cheikh Hamidi | (1983-04-06)6 April 1983 (aged 25) | USM Annaba | 17 | 6 |
| 7 | | Issaad Bourahli | (1974-03-23)23 March 1974 (aged 34) | ES Sétif | 97 | 42 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Player | From club | Transfer fee |
| 31 July 2008 | MF | Moké Diarra | Gueugnon | Free transfer |
| 15 January 2009 | FW | Nouri Ouznadji | JS Kabylie | Undisclosed |
| 18 January 2009 | MF | Wuiwel Isea | WA Casablanca | Free transfer |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Player | To club | Transfer fee | Source |
| 30 July 2008 | DF / MF | Hocine Metref | Dijon FCO | Free transfer | |
| 18 January 2009 | MF | Moké Diarra | Bizertin | End of contract | |

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
| Competition | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
| Division 1 | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 040.63 | — | 6th | 7 August 2008 | 28 May 2009 |
| Algerian Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | 15 January 2009 | 15 January 2009 |
| Arab Champions League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 025.00 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | 28 October 2008 | 28 December 2008 |
| Total | 37 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 037.84 |

### Division 1
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 4 | CR Belouizdad (Q) | 32 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 33 | 27 | +6 | 50 | 2010 CAF Confederation Cup |
| 5 | MC Alger | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 49 | |
| 6 | USM Alger | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 48 | |
| 7 | CA Bordj Bou Arréridj | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 48 | |
| 8 | MC El Eulma | 32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 46 | |
* ↑ CA Bordj Bou Arréridj were docked one point

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 28 December 2014. Source: Competitive matches

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 |
| Ground | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | D | W | D | W | L | D | D | D | D | L | W | L | W | L | L | D | W | L | W | W | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | W | W | W |
| Position | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |

#### Matches
### Arab Champions League
#### Round of 32
#### Round of 16
## Squad information
### Playing statistics

Appearances (Apps.) numbers are for appearances in competitive games only including sub appearances Red card numbers denote: Numbers in parentheses represent red cards overturned for wrongful dismissal.
| No. | Nat. | Player | Division 1 | Division 1 | Division 1 | Division 1 | Algerian Cup | Algerian Cup | Algerian Cup | Algerian Cup | Arab Champions League | Arab Champions League | Arab Champions League | Arab Champions League | Total | Total | Total | Total |
| No. | Nat. | Player | GS | | | | GS | | | | GS | | | | GS | | | |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | | Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche | 24 | | 2 | | 1 | | | | 4 | | 1 | 1 | 29 | | 3 | 1 |
| 24 | | Ahmed Walid Chouih | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | 1 |
| 27 | | Merouane Abdouni | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | | |
| Defenders |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | | Larbi Hosni | 12+2 | | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | 15 | | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | | Mohamed Amine Zidane | 11+4 | | 5 | | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | 18 | | 6 | |
| 4 | | Ali Rial | 25+3 | 7 | 3 | | 1 | | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | | 31 | 8 | 4 | |
| 12 | | Mohamed Amine Saidoune | 5 | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 6 | | 1 | |
| 13 | | Daniel Moncharé | 23+2 | | 3 | | 1 | | 1 | | 4 | | | | 30 | | 4 | |
| 14 | | Zineddine Mekkaoui | 8+3 | | | | | | | | 4 | | 1 | | 15 | | 1 | |
| 20 | | Nacereddine Khoualed | 14+6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | | 1 | | 4 | | 1 | | 25 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 25 | | Nacerdine Bensaci | 17 | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 17 | | 2 | |
| 26 | | Sofiane Harkat | 11+1 | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | 13 | | | 1 |
| | | Akram Benaoumeur | 22+1 | | 5 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 26 | | 5 | |
| | | Abdelouadoud Zitouni | 0+1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Midfielders |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | | Amar Ammour | 21+3 | 6 | 3 | | 1 | 1 | | | 4 | 1 | 1 | | 29 | 8 | 4 | |
| 8 | | Billel Dziri | 19+1 | 4 | 1 | | | | | | 3 | 2 | 2 | | 23 | 6 | 3 | |
| 11 | | Saïd Sayah | 4+11 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 18 | | | |
| 15 | | Mohamed Billel Benaldjia | 9+1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 12 | | 1 | |
| 17 | | Moké Diarra | 8+1 | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | 1 | | 10 | | 4 | |
| 21 | | Abdelkrim Oudni | 19+1 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | 4 | | 1 | | 24 | 1 | 5 | |
| 23 | | Abdessamad Habbache | 5+4 | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 11 | | 1 | |
| 28 | | Karim Ghazi | 18+1 | | 3 | 1 | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 23 | | 2 | 1 |
| 30 | | Islam Adel Aït Ali Yahia | 8+13 | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 24 | | 1 | |
| 32 | | Wuiwel Isea | 2+11 | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 14 | 1 | | |
| Forwards |||||||||||||||||||
| | | Aghilès Benchaâbane | 1+2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | 1 | | |
| | | Nouri Ouznadji | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| | | Mouaouia Meklouche | 1+3 | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 5 | | | |
| | | Cheikh Hamidi | 15+1 | 6 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | | | 17 | 6 | 1 | |
| | | Mintou Doucoure | 7+2 | | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | 11 | | 2 | |
| | | Issaad Bourahli | 10 | 5 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | | 12 | 6 | 2 | |
| | | Mohamed Boussefiane | 9+2 | 2 | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | 14 | 2 | 2 | |
| | | Farès Mecheri | 7+2 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | | 11 | 2 | 2 | |
| | | Rafik Deghiche | 2+4 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | 1 | | |
| | | Mehdi Benaldjia | 0+1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 38 | 51 | 8 | | 1 | 2 | 0 | | 6 | 15 | 1 | | 45 | 68 | 9 |

### Goalscorers

Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.
| No. | Nat. | Player | Pos. | D1 | AC | ACL | TOTAL |
| 7 | | Amar Ammour | MF | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | | Ali Rial | DF | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | | Billel Dziri | MF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| | | Issaad Bourahli | FW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| | | Cheikh Hamidi | FW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| | | Farès Mecheri | FW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | | Mohamed Boussefiane | FW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | | Aghilès Benchaâbane | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Abdelkrim Oudni | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Rafik Deghiche | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Nouri Ouznadji | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | | Nacereddine Khoualed | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | | Wuiwel Isea | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 38 | 1 | 6 | 45 |

### Clean sheets

Includes all competitive matches.
| No. | Name | N 1 | AC | ACL | Total |
| 1 | Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 24 | Ahmed Walid Chouih | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Merouane Abdouni | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| | TOTALS | 12 | 0 | 1 | 13 |