Gambian native Amadou Sanyang arrived in Toronto in March to face the harsh truth. "It was very cold to me," the 18-year-old defender said. "It was like: ‘Wow, what am I doing here?’" But Sanyang, who has appeared in all four TFC games since turning 18 on Aug. 1, says the season change has comforted him. "Now, we are in the summer and everything is like back in Gambia, so it’s nice," he said with a smile.
Last Saturday, with veteran Carl Robinson suspended for yellow card accumulation, Sanyang got his second career start in a defensive midfielder role. He had the job of marking former Swedish international and English Premier League star Freddie Ljunberg. "I thought the kid was outstanding," TFC coach Chris Cummins said of Sanyang’s performance in the 0-0 tie before 32,679 in Seattle. Calling Sanyang “probably the best player on the pitch” against Seattle, Cummins said Sanyang has provided a “good problem” in deciding a starting lineup. Sanyang should see more time this week, with Robinson still hurt and Amado Guevara on World Cup qualifying duty with Honduras.
A devout Muslim, Sanyang says fasting from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan has been “a little bit difficult.” But Sanyang appears to be improving every time he steps on the field. Rookie teammate Sam Cronin said both Sanyang and fellow Gambian rookie Emmanuel Gomez, who is also 18 and has played in five games so far with TFC, have gotten better throughout the year. "Now that they’re starting to play and get considerable minutes, they’re feeling more comfortable," Cronin said. "As they’re gaining more confidence they’ve proven to play much better.”