C. J. Sapong
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Nana Kwabena Sapong | ||
| Date of birth | December 27, 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Manassas, Virginia, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Philadelphia Union | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| D.C. United | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2010 | James Madison Dukes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009 | Fredericksburg Gunners | 8 | (0) |
| 2010 | Reading United | 11 | (4) |
| 2011–2014 | Sporting Kansas City | 110 | (20) |
| 2013 | → Orlando City (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2015– | Philadelphia Union | 34 | (13) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012– | United States | 2 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 23, 2016. | |||
Charles "C. J." Nana Kwabena Sapong (/səˈpɒŋ/; born December 27, 1988) is an American soccer player who currently plays for the Philadelphia Union Major League Soccer.
Career
College and amateur
Sapong played college soccer at James Madison University, where he ended his career with 37 goals and 21 assists in four seasons from 2007–2010. He was awarded First Team All-Conference and team Offensive MVP honors all four years, a first in program history, and was the CAA Player of the Year as a senior co-captain in 2010. Sapong was a two-time NSCAA First Team All-South Atlantic Region selection. As a freshman, he was named the CAA and VaSID Rookie of the Year and chosen to the Third Team All-South Atlantic Region.[1]
Sapong made eight appearances for Fredericksburg Gunners in the USL Premier Development League in 2009,[2] and made eleven appearances and scored four goals for Reading United during their 2010 PDL season.[3]
Professional
On January 14, 2011, Sapong was drafted #10 overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City.[1] He signed with the club on March 1, 2011.[4] He made his professional debut on March 19, in Kansas City's opening game of the 2011 MLS season against Chivas USA; he scored his first professional goal after just two minutes of the game, helping his team to a 3–2 victory.[5]Sapong was awarded the MLS Rookie of the Year Award for 2011, edging out Perry Kitchen and Michael Farfan, who finished second and third, respectively.[6]
Sapong was loaned to USL Pro's Orlando City in July 2013.[7] On July 18, only a week after being loaned to Orlando, Sapong was recalled by Sporting Kansas City. In total, Sapong scored 1 goal in 3 matches while tallying 1 assist.[8]
On December 8, 2014, Sapong was traded by Kansas City to Philadelphia Union in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.[9]
International career
On January 21, 2012, Sapong made his debut for the senior side of his country (as a second-half substitute) in the 1–0 win over Venezuela in a friendly match.
Career statistics
| Club | Season |  League |
Open Cup | Playoffs | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City |
2011 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 38 | 6 | |
| 2012 | 31 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 38 | 11 | ||
| 2013 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| Orlando City (loan) |
2013 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | |||
| Sporting Kansas City |
2014 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Union |
2015 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 9 | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 110 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 136 | 23 | |
| Orlando City | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | |
| Philadelphia Union | 27 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | |
| Career Total | 141 | 30 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 171 | 33 | |
Stats accurate as of December 7, 2015
Honors
Sporting Kansas City
Individual
- MLS Rookie of the Year: 2011
See also
References
- 1 2 "Sporting Kansas City Selects C.J. Sapong". Sporting Kansas City.
- ↑ United Soccer Leagues (USL)
- ↑ United Soccer Leagues (USL)
- ↑ "Sporting KC Signs Three to MLS Contracts". Sporting Kansas City.
- ↑ Bravo's debut double for Sporting sinks Chivas USA
- ↑ "Sporting KC's Sapong named Rookie of the Year". MLSsoccer.com.
- ↑ "Sporting KC". kansascity.
- ↑ http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2013/13380700.html#STATS
- ↑ "Philadelphia Union acquires forward C.J. Sapong from Sporting Kansas City". Philadelphia Union.
External links
- MLS player profile
- JMU profile
- C. J. Sapong at National-Football-Teams.com
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