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Saad thrilled to be back with Sporting Kansas City
▶ SHAUN GOODWIN
@ShaunGoodwinUDK
File photo/KANSAN Soony Saad of Sporting Kansas City eyes the ball during a matchup against the Houston Dynamo played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Thailand is not the first place one might think of when competitive soccer is brought into a conversation.
Typically, a person's mind will stray to the super-star-flooded leagues of Europe or the closer-to-home MLS. But for forward Soony Saad, his two years spent playing in the Thai Premier League served as a good opportunity to explore the Asian soccer community and build himself as a player.
File photo/KANSAN
Saad signed with Sporting Kansas City in 2011, then went on to play in 58 games, scoring eight goals.
After an offer from Thai Premier League club BEC Tero Sasana, Saad headed to Bangkok to explore Asian soccer.
In his first season in Thailand, Saad didn't play a single game for the Fire Dragons due to an injury, as they finished just two points clear of relegation. In 2016, Saad was loaned to newly-promoted club Pattava United.
events such as track and field which meant it included features such as a large track surrounding the field. This separated the field from the fans.
"They had a small stadium, kind of like an intimate atmosphere, similar to the U.K. probably, and it was nice, really nice," Saad said of Pattaya's stadium Nong Prue Stadium.
The stadium, which only held a little over 3,500 people, was also used for other
This was in contrast to BEC's Boonyachinda Stadium, which, to Saad, was not as intense or intimidating.
Although the league is not as well-known as MLS, Saad said he definitely thought the league represented different challenges.
"It's a bit more technical and I wouldn't say it's as physical. MLS is very physical, you have to be athletic to be involved," Saad said. "I would say you need that in the Thai Premier League, but it's a bit more ball-at-yourfeet and creating things."
The Thai Premier League certainly showed more similarities to many of Europe's biggest leagues, where quick thinking and quicker feet are required to make an impact in the game.
It was this kind of play
We feel that bringing Soony back at this time is a great fit for us."
Peter Vermes
Sporting Kansas City
coach
that allowed Saad to make 28 league appearances for the Blue Dolphins and score nine goals.
Despite his success in Thailand, he always kept an eye on the progress of Sporting Kansas City, despite being 8,714 miles away.
with most of the guys on the team," Saad said.
"I've still kept friends
One of those players was fellow forward and former roommate Dom Dwyer, who joined Kansas City in 2012
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-a year after Saad. The pair were often seen together before Saad left for Thailand they were the jokers on the team.
"It's great, it's good banter all the time," Saad said. "We hang out a lot — we watch Champions League together. We picked up where we left off, but he's grown the family by two — he's got a wife and kids, so I think we've both matured."
The connection can still be seen between the two players on the field and in the dressing room. The pair are locker-room neighbors and are constantly sharing jokes and messing around after the game.
"We feel that bringing Soony back at this time is a great fit for us," said Vermes at the start of the 2017 season. "There are certain aspects of his game that can really help in areas of the field where we need additional support. We are excited to see how his game has matured over the past two years."
When Saad returned to Sporting Kansas City, some murmurs could be heard regarding coach Peter Vermes' decision to bring back the striker to Kansas City.
After 15 games in 2017, he has logged 326 minutes on the field and scored three goals and with an assist.
Although a majority of
his appearances have come off the bench, Saad did get a start on Saturday afternoon against Minnesota United.
Sporting Kansas City was welcoming Minnesota to Children's Mercy Park for the first time in MLS history, having lost to the Looms at the TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on May 7.
Sporting Kansas City lost that game 2-0, but Saad and Kansas City got their revenge, as they defeated Minnesota 3-0.
"If a team beats us, it's
something we take personal. We want to go back and take revenge," Saad said. "We did a good job about that today. I think the score could have easily been a bit more if we put away some chances."
Saad could have had a goal himself in the 55th minute, firing a shot from 20 yards out that bounced off the underside of the crossbar.
Although the ball appeared to bounce over the line and back out, midfielder Jimmy Medranda made sure
"I guess it's unfortunate we can't go back and change it, but on the positive side of things, we got that second goal," Saad said. "That was important to give us a little bit of a cushion."
of the goal.
Saad's contract will run through the 2018 season. He also has an option to extend his contract through 2019.
But until then, Saad is just happy to be back playing in front of the crowd that first gave him a chance on the professional stage.