Soony Saad

At 32 years old, Soony Saad has this physical status:

Hassan Ali "Soony" Saad (SOO-nee Sod), Arabic: "" (soo'ni saad) (born August 17, 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Lebanon's national team.

Saad's senior career at Sporting Kansas City in the MLS began in 2011, winning the 2012 U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup. Before the 2015 season, he moved to Thailand at BEC Tero Sasana. However, he didn't make it to the team due to a back injury and was sent out on loan to Pattaya United in the 2016 season. Saad returned to Sporting KC in 2017 and was sent on loan to Swope Park Rangers, then moved to Indy Eleven in 2018. He then returned to Asia, playing for Ansar in Lebanon, Ansan Greeners in South Korea, Al-Wehdat in Jordan, and PT Prachuap in Thailand.

Saad was born in the United States and obtained Lebanese citizenship due to his ethnicity. Since 2013, he has been a youth international and a complete Lebanon national. Saad has appeared in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as well as the 2019 WAFF Championship.

Early life

Saad was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, and grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, which is known for its large Arab-American population. He obtained Lebanese citizenship by birth because of his paternal descent. Ali Soony's father, who moved from Lebanon to the United States in the 1980s, survived the Lebanese Civil War, and met his future wife Kristene at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Ali encouraged Soony and his older brother Hamoody to play football.

Personal life

Saad was born to Lebanese father Ali and American mother Kristene. Hamoody – who also played football – and two sisters, Summar and Hannan – are both brothers. Saad referred to his father's as "integral to his growth" as a footballer, having trained him and his siblings as a child.

Ramadan is observed by a practicing Muslim in Saad. He proposed to Lebanese actress Malak Al Haj in March 2020; the couple married in December.

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Youth and college career

Saad's youth played for the Michigan Wolves, Derby County Wolves' academy team, beginning with their under-12s. He led them to the 2007 United States. The Golden Boot Award for Most Outstanding Player was given to Youth Soccer National Championships.

Saad joined Vardar's U15/U16 squad in 2008; he was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-16 Player of the Year in 2008. Saad, a student at Dearborn High School, joined the U.S. Residency Program in Bradenton in fall 2008.

Saad returned to the Derby County Wolves in summer 2009 and then began attending Dearborn High School for his senior year.

Saad's high school career concluded with a state single-season record of 176 goals and 51 assists in his 2009 season, as he came to an end. He set a new state high school single-season goals record of 69, 2000, and the previous high school career goals record of 169 was set in 1995. Saad was also named the 2010 National Player of the Year by the Michigan Soccer Coaches Association "Mr. Soccer" title in 2009, and was also named the 2009 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Saad joined the Michigan Wolverines ahead of the 2010 season, playing with his older brother Hamoody. Both Soony and Hamoody scored in a 2–1 victory over Detroit in their first game, with Soony's goal coming off a free kick.

He had a fruitful freshman season, scoring 19 goals in 24 games, beating the previous record of 14 for most goals by a freshman at the University of Michigan, while still setting records for shots and overall points. He helped the team win their first Big Ten Soccer Tournament and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Saad left school after his freshman year to pursue a European team's professional contract. Saad returned to the United States and trained with the North American Soccer League's NSC Minnesota Stars.

Club career

Saad's professional deal with Major League Soccer was signed in June 2011 (MLS). Sporting Kansas City claimed his services on July 5, 2011, as part of the league's weighted lottery system used to select players who sign with the league following the MLS SuperDraft.

Saad made his MLS debut on August 17, 2011, just 19 years old. He scored his first goal in the 72nd minute, just nine minutes after he started, becoming the youngest goalscorer in club history.

Saad scored twice more goals for Sporting KC in MLS Reserve League games against Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas, and they even scored once in a friendly against Guadalajara on October 12, 2011.

Saad was a member of the Kansas City team that won the 2012 U.S. Open Cup in the final against the Seattle Sounders on August 8. In the third round of the same tournament, he had scored a brace against Orlando City on May 30. In the 2012 MLS season, Saad played nine games.

Saad's breakout season came in 2013-- scoring four goals and giving four assists in 23 games. In the CONCACAF Champions League's first-ever match against Real Estel (of Nicaragua) on August 8, 2013, Saad began as a starter against Nicaragua in the group stage in a 2–0 win. In a 2–0 victory over Honduran side Olimpia, he scored both goals on August 28 for his first CONCACAF goals. In the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, Saad appeared twice, defeating Sporting KC.

Despite not being a regular starter during the 2014 MLS season, Saad appeared in 22 games and scored three times, and helped Kansas City make the Playoffs for the fourth year in a row. In two Open Cup games, he scored two goals. His deal came to an end at the end of the season, with Sporting KC reserveing the right to sign him in the future. Saad scored 14 goals and seven assists in 71 appearances for Sporting, totaling eight goals and six assists in 58 MLS regular season games.

Following the completion of his deal with Sporting Kansas City, Saad signed with Thai club BEC Tero Sasana in October 2014, ahead of the 2015 season. He cited his success with the Lebanon national team against Thailand in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as the reason for the club's interest in him. Saad was unable to play in his first season with the club due to a injury.

Saad scored a penalty in a 1–0 preseason friendly win over BEC Tero Sasana over Samut Sakhon after recovering from his injury on March 2, 2016. In 28 league appearances, Saad scored nine goals and made nine assists, helping his team avoid relegation to Thailand's Division 2.

Sporting Kansas City reported on January 30, 2017 and 2018 that Saad was re-acquired on a two-year contract, with a promise of a new contract. On March 19, he made his second appearance for the club against the San Jose Earthquakes, with his 89th-minute shot being deflected in goal by goalkeeper David Bingham.

Saad was waived during the 2018 preseason after being sent on loan to Swope Park Rangers, a USL Championship club affiliated with Sporting KC. Saad joined Indy Eleven, a USL Championship team, on February 21, 2018, where he scored five league goals in 29 appearances.

Saad's move to Lebanese club Ansar had been announced on January 18, 2019. He scored and assisted once against Safa in his debut in the 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League on January 27, scoring twice against Safa. Saad beat Salam Zgharta 4–0 on February 15, with a 30-meter free kick. This was the first time in over two years that the Beirut Municipal Stadium had hosted a game. Saad scored in the Lebanese FA Cup quarter-finals on May 10, aiding his side over Nejmeh in the Beirut derby.

Saad's first year with the club, he scored six league goals in ten games with Ansar, as well as one cup victory, finishing second in both league and cup. Ansar renewed Saad's deal for two seasons on May 29.

Saad's only goal of the 2019 Lebanese Elite Cup semi-finals came on August 18, 2019. He scored his only brace for Ansar against Chabab Ghazieh in the 2019 Lebanese Elite Cup semi-finals. Saad was released by Ansar in March 2020 due to financial difficulties with the club in the midst of the Lebanese liquidity crisis.

Saad joined the Ansan Greeners in K League 2 on March 27, 2020. In a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification game against South Korea, he had already played in Ansan's home stadium, Ansan Wat Stadium, four years ago for the Lebanon national team. On May 23, Saad made his debut for his new club, playing as a replacement in the second half against Bucheon. His first-minute debut came three days later on May 26, in a 1–0 loss to Daejeon Hana Citizen. In the 2020 season, Saad played 11 games.

Saad joined Al-Wehdat in the Jordanian Pro League on a one-year deal, reuniting with fellow Lebanese player Ahmad Zreik and former Ansar coach Abdullah Abu Zema on March 27, 2021.

He made his Jordan Super Cup debut on April 4 by defeating Al-Jazeera 2–0, helping his team win the Jordan Super Cup. Saad made his AFC Champions League debut against Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr on April 4, drawing 0–0. He scored the lone goal against Iran club Foolad in the AFC Champions League on Sunday, becoming the second Lebanese player to score in the tournament after Zack's goal three days before.

Saad made his league debut on May 4 as a second-half replacement in a 1–0 home win over Al-Jalil. On July 27, he scored his first league goal, and his team defeated Shabab Al-Aqaba 4–1. Saad scored in the 2021 Jordan FA Cup round of 16 against Al-Jalil on August 25, which Al-Wehdat defeated 4–0. Saad had four goals and three assists in 26 games this season.

Saad returned to Thailand on December 2021, serving with PT Prachuap ahead of the second leg of the 2021–22 Thai League 1. He was a part of his team's 2021–22 Thai League Cup, losing 4–0 to Buriram United in the final, as he helped his team finish runners-up.

International career

Saad was called up to represent the United States at the under-14 level in January 2008; he competed against Mexico as part of a training camp in Guadalajara, scoring once against Jalisco U14.

During his time in Bradenton's United States Residency Program, Saad spent time with the under-17 team. In July, he was invited to a two-week training camp in Montevideo, Uruguay, without playing. Saad appeared in six games against Panama, Honduras, and Guatemala as part of a Central America tour, scoring twice and assisting once. He has also played on exhibition tours in the United States and France, most notable against Paris Saint-Germain's under-18s. In a 1–1 friendly draw against Ecuador in February 2009, he played his last official game for the under-17s.

Saad was called up to join the under-20s in December 2010. He appeared in a friendly match against Canada in which he scored in a 2–0 victory.

Saad obtained his Lebanese passport in May 2013 and became eligible to join Lebanon's national team. Saad became the first MLS player to join the Lebanon national team after receiving a call-up for a friendly against Oman scheduled for May 29. Saad's international debut in the game was kicked off in the 62nd minute, scoring Lebanon's only goal in an eventual 1–1 draw. He scored Lebanon's third goal against Thailand in the 2015 Asian Cup qualification, two years later, in September 2016, he scored his third for Lebanon against Afghanistan in a friendly.

Saad traveled with Lebanon to North Korea on September 5, 2017 to compete in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Saad handed over his American passport to the team's chief, who kept his Lebanese one intact due to the team's hostile relations with the US. He said he "grew out [his] beard to appear more Lebanese" and "spoke English in a Lebanese accent" to "hide the fact" that [he] was American. Nevertheless, he claimed that he did not encounter hostility from the locals, who "just saw it as a football team coming in." There are no politics involved, just football."

Saad played for Lebanon in the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring two goals in the final two games of the second round in June 2021, a long-distance goal against Turkmenistan and the first goal against South Korea. Despite losing both games, Lebanon advanced to the third (and final) round after results in other groups ruled in the Cedars' favour. Saad scored in Lebanon's first victory of the round, a 3–2 victory over Syria on October 12, bringing his team to third place in the group. On November 11, he scored a first-half goal against Iran on November 11, and Lebanon was close to winning a historic victory before Iran scored twice in stoppage time to defeat 2–1. Lebanon finished last year in last place with just one victory in ten games.

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