TFC's Sanyang holds Sounders FC offense at bay

Midfielder's play helps Toronto FC earn point in Seattle

By Andrew Winner / MLSnet.com Staff

"I thought the kid was outstanding," said TFC coach Chris Cummins of Amadou Sanyang. (Getty)

SEATTLE -- In only his fourth MLS match, Toronto FC's Amadou Sanyang was handed a difficult assignment: Keep Seattle's Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal star and Swedish international, from having an influence on the game.

With veteran Carl Robinson on the bench with a yellow card suspension, the responsibility of breaking up Seattle's attacks and connecting the team fell to Sanyang. In his holding midfielder position, the 18-year-old Gambian was tasked with keeping tabs on the Sounders FC talisman.

The task proved to be a handful. Just two minutes into the match, Sanyang barely escaped the referee's notebook for pulling Ljungberg down on a counterattack. Later in the half, he prevented a quick free kick for Seattle by holding the ball, which earned him another stern talking-to from referee Jorge Gonzalez, but no card.

However, after that nervy start Sanyang fell into his groove, earning accolades from his coach and teammates for his solid performance in Saturday's scoreless draw at Qwest Field.

"I thought the kid was outstanding. He's a good player and he showed today he's got a little bit quality on the ball when he needs it," said Toronto coach Chris Cummins. "He's a little bit hit or miss but he's got legs and he gets around people. I thought that role suited him today."

Ljungberg lined up on the right of Seattle's formation, but as is their strategy the Swede switched positions often, trying to find some space. When on the right, it was Sam Cronin's job to mark him. When he moved to the middle, Sanyang picked him up.

"The way (the coaches) wanted me to play was very good and I listened to them," Sanyang said. "They wanted me to sit in, get the ball, and give it to the big players. ... Things worked very good for me. I think I did good but I want to do more."

Sanyang didn't have a big part in the attack from his deep-lying position, as Toronto had plenty of success playing long balls to Dwayne De Rosario. For the most part, Cummins charged Sanyang with keeping possession -- a task he completed with aplomb that belied his years.

Toronto controlled possession in the first half, which generally reflects well on the holding midfielder. According to Marvell Wynne, who lined up in an unfamiliar position of right midfield, Toronto tried to funnel Seattle's attack into the middle of the field, where it met Sanyang.

"We actually gave him a very important role -- standing in there and making sure they don't get a lot of play throughout the middle of the field," Wynne said of Sanyang. "We gave him a challenge and he followed through well."

After the match, the soft-spoken youngster thanked Allah for his performance, conceding that marking Ljungberg was a difficult task. With a crucial road point in the bag, Toronto now heads to Colorado in search of another result on the road as the playoffs loom.

Sanyang, who's played in every match since becoming eligible on August 1, might be an important part of TFC's playoff push.

"He doesn't get fazed by playing in front of 30,000 people," Cummins said of Sanyang. "He goes in there and he breaks things up."

Andrew Winner is a contributor to MLSnet.com