C. J. Sapong

CJ Sapong
Personal information
Full name Charles Nana Kwabena Sapong
Date of birth (1988-12-27) 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 67 (35)
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 78 (26)
National team
2012 United States 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of July 27, 2016.

Charles "CJ" Nana Kwabena Sapong (/səˈpɒŋ/; born December 27, 1988) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in 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] He scored his first career hat-trick in Philadelphia's 3–0 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Talen Energy Stadium on May 6, 2017.[10]

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

All-time club performance
Club Season United States 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
2016 31 7 - 1 0 - 32 7
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

References

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