Saad Abdul-Salaam facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 8, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | ||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Internationals SC | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013 | Portland Timbers U23s | 6 | (1) |
| 2015–2017 | Sporting Kansas City | 64 | (1) |
| 2015 | → San Antonio Scorpions (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2018 | New York City FC | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Phoenix Rising (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2019 | Seattle Sounders FC | 18 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Tacoma Defiance (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | FC Cincinnati | 8 | (0) |
| 2021 | Columbus Crew | 18 | (0) |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 11 | (1) |
|
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Saad Abdul-Salaam (born September 8, 1991) is an American professional soccer player. He plays as a defender, helping to protect his team's goal.
Saad Abdul-Salaam's Soccer Journey
Starting Out in Ohio
Saad Abdul-Salaam was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He grew up in Gahanna, Ohio. There, he played for his local high school soccer team. In 2009, his team won the state championship. After high school, Saad went to the University of Akron. He played for their soccer team, the Akron Zips.
Joining Sporting Kansas City
After four years at Akron, Saad was chosen in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. He was the twelfth player picked overall by Sporting Kansas City. This was a big step into professional soccer.
Loan to San Antonio Scorpions
On April 1, 2015, Saad was loaned to the San Antonio Scorpions. This was for the spring season of the North American Soccer League. He played his first professional game for the Scorpions on April 4. It was against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He played the entire game, which his team lost 3–1.
Back with Kansas City
Saad was called back to Sporting Kansas City on May 20, 2015. He made his first appearance in Major League Soccer (MLS) that day. He played 22 games and started 10 during the 2015 season. He also made one assist. In the playoffs, he had a memorable moment during a penalty shootout against the Portland Timbers.
In 2016, his second season, Saad played in 30 games. He didn't score any goals but had six assists. This was more assists than any other Sporting Kansas City player that season. On June 21, 2017, he scored his first professional goal. It was in a 3–0 win against Minnesota United.
Moving to New York City FC
On December 14, 2017, Saad was traded to New York City FC. This trade happened in exchange for another player, Khiry Shelton. Later, on August 13, 2018, he was loaned to Phoenix Rising FC.
Playing for Seattle Sounders FC
On February 26, 2019, Saad's player rights were traded to Seattle Sounders FC. This trade involved $50,000 of Targeted Allocation Money. He played for Seattle during the 2019 season. At the end of that season, Seattle released him.
Time with FC Cincinnati
On December 3, 2019, FC Cincinnati selected Saad Abdul-Salaam. This happened during Stage Two of the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Process.
Joining Columbus Crew
On April 17, 2021, Columbus Crew picked up Saad. He had been waived by FC Cincinnati a few days earlier. After the 2021 season, Columbus decided not to renew his contract.
Signing with San Antonio FC
On June 22, 2022, San Antonio FC announced they had signed Saad Abdul-Salaam. He joined the team for the rest of the 2022 season.
Career Statistics Overview
Saad Abdul-Salaam has played for several teams throughout his career. Here's a summary of his games and goals:
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | International | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2015 | MLS | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |||
| Total | 64 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 78 | 1 | ||
| San Antonio Scorpions (loan) | 2015 | NASL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| New York City | 2018 | MLS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Phoenix Rising (loan) | 2018 | USL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2019 | MLS | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Tacoma Defiance (loan) | 2019 | USL | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| FC Cincinnati | 2020 | MLS | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Columbus Crew | 2021 | 18 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 115 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 132 | 1 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Saad Abdul-Salaam has won some important titles with his teams:
- Columbus Crew
- Campeones Cup: 2021 (A cup played between the MLS Cup winner and the Mexican Liga MX champion)
- San Antonio FC
- USL Championship (regular season): 2022 (Winning the regular season in the USL Championship league)
- USL Championship Final: 2022 (Winning the final playoff game in the USL Championship)
