Abdoulie Mansally

Abdoulie Mansally
Personal information
Date of birth27 January 1989
Place of birthBanjul, the Gambia
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing positionWing Back
Winger
Forward
Club information
Current team
Real Salt Lake
Number29
Youth career
2005–2006Real de Banjul
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2006–2007Real de Banjul
2007–2012New England Revolution89(7)
2012–Real Salt Lake35(0)
National team
2005Gambia U173(1)
2007Gambia U204(1)
2008–Gambia8(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 April 2010

Abdoulie Mansally (born 27 January 1989) is a Gambian footballer who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.

Professional career

New England Revolution

Mansally began his career in The Gambia, graduating from the youth academy of Real de Banjul, and playing in the GFA League First Division.

He was scouted by New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol while playing in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and signed with the Revolution shortly thereafter along with his Gambian teammate, Sainey Nyassi.[1] He made his first start for the Revolution on 29 March 2008, and scored his first MLS goal on 9 April 2008 in a game against the Kansas City Wizards.

On 3 April 2010, he had his first career multi-goal game, a brace (including his first league goal in over a year) with a pair of goals 110 seconds apart to spark New England to a 2–0 victory.

Mansally was waived by New England on 4 May 2012.[2]

Real Salt Lake

After trials with both D.C. United and Real Salt Lake, Mansally officially signed with Salt Lake on 20 June 2012.[3] He made his debut for the club on 4 July 2012 in a 0-0 tie against Seattle Sounders FC.

International Career

Mansally received his first call-up for the Gambia National Football Team during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, and was an unused substitute in the home and away matches against Liberia. He earned his first cap for his country coming off the bench in a qualifier against Algeria.[4]

Personal

Mansally went by the nickname "Kenny" for years, including for his first six seasons as a professional in MLS before dropping the nickname at the outset of the 2013 season in order to remind people of who he is and where he came from.[5]

Mansally received his U.S. green card in 2010 which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[6]

Charity Work

Mansally started the Mansally Foundation based on improving the lives and the conditions of the community where he grew up. The country of Gambia is a small country in Africa where most families farm for a living. The foundation is in place to provide children from Gambia access to food, medical care, and an education to a brighter future.[7]

Honors

New England Revolution

Real Salt Lake

Individual

References

  1. Revs at the forefront of African scouting in MLS Published: 22 April 2009; Retrieved: 13 May 2014
  2. Mansally waived Published: 4 May 2012; Retrieved: 13 May 2014
  3. Michael C. Lewis (20 June 2012). "Real Salt Lake acquires Kenny Mansally". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  4. "FIFA Match Report: Gambia vs Algeria". Fifa.com. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  5. http://www.realsaltlake.com/blog/post/2013/03/07/who-killed-kenny-mansally-go-given-name-abdoulie
  6. "Revolution Update: February 18, 2010 | New England Revolution". Revolutionsoccer.net. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  7. http://www.mansallyfoundation.org/
  8. Kenny Mansally earns MLS Player of the Week Published: 5 April 2010; Retrieved: 13 May 2010

External links