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 When the 2010 MLS campaign kicked off in March, it was commonly believed that TFC’s sophomore players were going to have to improve upon their successful rookie seasons if the Reds were going to have any chance of making the playoffs for the first time. The team did not have a first round pick at the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and a number of the team’s key veteran players left the team over the offseason and during the preseason. Many observers felt that if Toronto was going have a successful year it was going to need big seasons from Stefan Frei, Sam Cronin, O’Brian White and Emmanuel Gomez.

While Frei has been even better than he was during a very impressive rookie season, White has looked dangerous more often than not, Cronin has only cracked the line up sporadically under new head coach Preki, and Gomez has thus far not played a single minute due to injury. One player who many were not expecting a big impact from is midfielder Amadou Sanyang. Rather than it being a reflection of his talent, it was usually an assumption based almost purely on his position.

After all, when you essentially play the same position as your club’s designated player (Julian de Guzman), the team’s up and coming former 2nd overall pick (Cronin) and a hard tackling experienced player (Martin Saric) thought to have been brought in by Toronto’s new head coach, even Sanyang would likely forgive people for thinking that he was probably going to spend spells of the season on the bench.

But head coaching changes don’t only bring personnel changes, they also provide players with a fresh slate and the opportunity to impress a new regime. Lo and behold, through the team’s first eleven MLS matches, Sanyang has played 573 minutes and has brought a combination of physicality and strong defensive play to the centre of the TFC midfield. In many ways, the native of Bakau, Gambia has established himself as a prototypical hardworking and gritty “Preki player” and has become an important piece in the overall equation of Toronto’s solid start to the season.

At only 18 years of age, it is easy to forget that Sanyang is the youngest player on the team. As a young man that is mature beyond his years, the sophomore player is grateful to have the opportunity to continue to grow his game under the watchful eye of an experienced coaching staff.

“It's going well playing under Preki. He's a great coach and he was a great soccer player as well. And he has been helping me a lot. Everything has been going really well with the coaching staff - not only Preki, but all of the coaches,” says Sanyang.

In addition to learning from the coaching staff, the teenage central midfielder is keen to add that he is also learning a lot from playing and training with his veteran teammates.

“It's been great playing with Julian (de Guzman), as well as Martin (Saric). It has been very good for me, as they are all very experienced players and they are talking to me and helping me all the time. Julian previously played for Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, so it really something to not only play with him, but also play against him in practice. It's gone well so far and it's helping me build my confidence,” says Sanyang.

It is the pairing with De Guzman that can be seen as the young Gambian’s greatest resource. While Sanyang is not quite ready technically to become the focal point of the midfield, he can focus on establishing himself defensively, while on the pitch De Guzman takes responsibility for keeping possession and passing.

Last August, it was a similar pairing that put Sanyang into TFC supporters’ awareness in a solid 2-0 victory over DC United. An unsuccessful first half with Carl Robinson brought about a half time substitution and in came another creative, technically gifted finesse player in Amado Guevara. Sanyang was able to showcase his strengths and gave the Reds and their fans a good impression in his first start.

While the sophomore has in many ways epitomized the physical and dogged defending that has started to define the 2010 incarnation of Toronto FC, he also knows both he and the entire team cannot rest on their laurels and must continue to work hard and improve as the season progresses.

“I have been working on my technique and my distribution and it is has been going great. I definitely still have to work on a lot of things, but, so far so good. As players we all have one goal. We are working hard as a group of players in practice and the coach has been giving all of the players a chance to play, which has gone over really well with all of us,” states Sanyang.

With a nice mix of veterans and talented youth, it is that collective spirit that has propelled the Reds to 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and forged the type of team identity that has TFC supporters feeling the most confident they ever have about the team's playoff prospects.

Sanyang and Toronto FC will take on the league leading Los Angeles Galaxy at BMO Field on June 26th.

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