It has been a long wait for Amadou Sanyang, but the young Gambian will finally be able to play for Toronto FC when he turns 18 on Saturday. The midfielder will travel with the squad for the first time for the match at New England (Saturday at 8:00 p.m. live on GOLTV.)
"I'm excited to get to this moment," said Sanyang. "I have been preparing for this for a long time and I think if I get the chance to play everything will go well."
Sanyang signed an MLS contract with Toronto in March but due to MLS regulations, was unable to play for the until his 18th birthday. He has been training with the first team squad and playing for TFC Academy in the Canadian Soccer League.
"It was difficult not being able to play for the first team, but it was good to play for the Academy. It helped me to play with them and I got a lot of help from the coaches Jason bent and Stuart Neely. It was also good to practice with the senior guys. I have improved a lot and the guys helped me to improve my way of playing."
"I prefer the midfield role but I will play wherever the coach wants me to play. It is definitely good for me to travel with them and to be part of the team. It will make me more comfortable."
The 17 year old arrived in Toronto in March from Real de Banjul Football Club in Gambia. He was a member of the Gambian U-17 squad, and is currently part of the U-20 squad. In 2007, he was honoured as the Best Midfielder in the National League and was part of the winning team that captured the Four Nation Tournament held in Ivory Coast that year. In that tournament he was named MVP runner-up.
