Sainey Nyassi facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 January 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Bwiam, Gambia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Gambia Ports Authority | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2007 | Gambia Ports Authority | 82 | (18) |
| 2007–2013 | New England Revolution | 104 | (8) |
| 2013 | D.C. United | 14 | (0) |
| 2014 | RoPS | 19 | (4) |
| 2015–2017 | FC Edmonton | 72 | (5) |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | Gambia U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2007 | Gambia U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2010–2015 | Gambia | 6 | (2) |
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Sainey Nyassi (born January 31, 1989) is a professional footballer from Gambia. He plays as a midfielder, which means he helps both defend and attack on the field.
Contents
Sainey Nyassi's Football Journey
Sainey started his football journey in his home country, Gambia. He played for a team called Gambia Ports Authority in their top league.
Playing in the United States
While playing in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Sainey was noticed by Steve Nicol, the coach for New England Revolution. Soon after, Sainey and his Gambian teammate, Kenny Mansally, signed with the Revolution.
Sainey officially joined the Revolution on August 31, 2007. He played his first game in the MLS on September 9, 2007. He came into the game as a substitute against D.C. United. This was his only game during the 2007 season.
Sainey's first time starting a game, and his first goal in the MLS, happened on March 29, 2008. This was during the Revolution's first game of the 2008 season, where they won 3-0 against Houston Dynamo. When he scored, he became the youngest Revolution player to ever start a season-opener.
For the next four seasons, Sainey was a key player for the Revolution. He played in at least 20 games each year. In 2012, he had a hamstring injury that kept him off the field for a while. He left the New England Revolution on May 16, 2013.
Moving to New Teams
On May 27, 2013, Sainey signed with another MLS team, D.C. United.
Then, on June 9, 2014, Sainey moved to Finland and signed with a club called RoPS.
In February 2015, Sainey signed with FC Edmonton in Canada. He played for this team for three seasons. After the 2017 season, he left the club.
Playing for His Country
Sainey has played for Gambia's national teams at different age levels. He played for the Gambian Under-17 team in the 2005 U-17 world championships. He also played for the Under-20 national team in the 2007 U-20 FIFA Championships.
He scored his first goal for the main Gambian national team on September 4, 2010. This was during a game against Namibia in the qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
International Goals for Gambia
Sainey has scored two goals for the Gambian national team:
- On January 9, 2010, in a friendly game against Tunisia, he scored one goal.
- On September 4, 2010, in a qualification match against Namibia, he scored one goal.
A Bit About Sainey
Sainey has a twin brother named Sanna Nyassi, who is also a professional footballer.
On January 31, 2012, Sainey received his U.S. green card. This meant he was considered a local player for MLS teams, which is helpful for how teams manage their players.
