Tony Sanneh, the new U.S. right back, returns to Hertha Berlin, where he’s had mixed results since joining the club in February 1999.
SOCCER AMERICA: How often have you played right back?
TONY SANNEH: One or two games at D.C. United when we needed help. One or two games at Hertha Berlin when they needed help. Sometimes if the opponent has a fast player, I go back late in the game. In my life, I probably played four games there from the beginning.
SA: You’re going back to Berlin?
TS: I’m staying there one more year. They exercised my option.
SA: You played in the last six games, but sat out more than half the season’s matches …
TS: I went up and down. When I played, I played well most of the time. At the end, I started in the center midfield. Every time I played, I kept playing. The only times I didn’t play was because of off-the-field incidents or an injury.
When one of their national team players gets hurt, first thing is, “Let’s work him back in.” When you get hurt, you have to wait until some one else gets hurt.
SA: What do you mean by “off-the-field?”
TS: Injuries. Different philosophies with the coach. They don’t agree with my mentality. We tend to shake things off. They want you to show your frustration. When we miss a goal, we say shake it off. They want you to pound the ground and say “s***.”
SA: Have you learned how to do that?
TS: Sure. Certain people in the club have told me to bite my tongue and not to smile so much.
SA: I heard you own a bar in Berlin …
TS: Yeah. The team wasn’t terribly thrilled about it. … It’s a cocktail bar. There’s three owners and I’m one of them.
SA: Don’t the Germans drink their liquor straight?
TS: Generally, but they love cocktails. We have 200 different cocktails and great bartenders.
SA: How much is a screwdriver at your place?
TS: I don’t know. Everything’s in Deutschmarks.
by Soccer America executive editor Mike Woitalla