“I think I’ve been lucky that I’ve always had people to take me under their wing and saw something in me. I guess that’s the reason why I push so hard to do this (outreach) because I want to make sure everyone has the same opportunity I had.”

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It was 1977 and a 6-year-old Sanneh and his parents took a trip to Gambia in West Africa to visit relatives. All the kids there were playing this sport called soccer and he joined in.

And the seed was planted.

He returned from that trip and during summer school, took a soccer class and learned more about the game.

“One day, a coach came up to me and said ‘hey, you’re pretty good’ and so I tried out for some teams,” Sanneh briefly explained.

Seems pretty simple but from there blossomed a fútbol career that continues today, though in a slightly different capacity.

The St. Paul, Minnesota native started with the St. Paul Blackhawks youth squad, then he moved on to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He remains in the Panther men’s soccer record books as the all-time leader in career points (153) and career assists (32), and second in career goals (53). His 17-goal, 15-assist senior season earned him a spot on the NSCAA All-America Second Team in 1993.

Sanneh moved up to the pro ranks a year later, starting with the USISL’s Milwaukee Rampage and on to the Minnesota Thunder and two indoor teams (Chicago Power and the Milwaukee Wave). In 1996, midway through the inaugural Major League Soccer season, Sanneh signed with D.C. United, playing mostly at right field.

After international stints with Germany’s Hertha BSC and 1. FC Nuremberg, Sanneh returned to finish out his career playing for MLS’s Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and LA Galaxy.

In the midst of stateside pro career, Sanneh also made 43 national team appearances starting in January 1997 against China. Sanneh admits that he’s probably most remembered by soccer fans for his cross from the right to assist teammate Brian McBride’s goal in a 3-2 upset of Portugal in 2002.

But that isn’t his favorite memory from his playing days. For that, he goes back to 1997 in the second-ever MLS Championship game.  

Playing for D.C. United, he had just scored what would be the game-winning goal in front of 57,000+ fans at RFK Stadium. Amid all the celebratory chaos, he noticed a small group of fans that caught his eye during that moment.

“I looked up and I saw about 15 of my friends who flew from Minnesota that were all standing behind the goal. They were all so excited and I was the one playing!

“For them to be right behind the goal, and for me to look up and see them celebrating…They were happier than I was. When you can put a smile on people’s faces, especially those who care about you, it’s a really special moment.”

Sanneh retired from playing the game in 2009 but still continues to give back to the sport and to communities that have given him so much. He moved back to St. Paul to dedicate himself full-time as president and executive director of The Sanneh Foundation. Through its programs and camps, the foundation aims to empower kids, improve lives and unite communities all through the playing and love of soccer.

In late March 2013, Sanneh continued his outreach beyond American borders by making a return trip to Haiti.

“It’s a soccer program, similar to what we do in America. If you go to school here, you can play soccer. We feed you and give you clean drinking water,” Sanneh explained over the phone from Port-au-Prince. “We’re trying to rebuild the field to change the poorest communities here.”

Sanneh’s first trip to Haiti was in March 2010 with the LA Galaxy following the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the country earlier that year. That sparked the partnership between The Sanneh Foundation and the Galaxy Foundation to establish the Haitian Initiative, a joint project dedicated to providing aid, equipment and soccer-based youth programming to children during the rebuilding process.

“We’re building a system here where people can come down and plug-in and help these communities. What I hope through this mission and the foundation is to establish productive communities and raise kids together.”

In addition to his foundation’s mission work, Sanneh is scheduled to present at the 2013 NSCAA Summer Symposium in August in Orlando.

Visit TheSannehFoundation.org for information about the organization programs and camps around the country.

For more information about the NSCAA Symposium, visit NSCAA.com/Symposium. Attendees can save $50 by taking advantage of the early bird registration rate for the inagural event; that rate ends June 1.

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