Category: Players Abroad News

Sierra Leone fasting growing digital football website is passionately on all topics of National and International news, identifying our soccer stars.

New Japanese J-League challenge striker Amadou Bakayoko
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

New Japanese J-League challenge for striker Amadou Bakayoko

Japanese J-League team Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo have confirmed the arrival of a new acquisition, Sierra Leone’s striker Amadou Bakayoko.

“We are pleased to announce that Amadou Bakayoko has joined us on a permanent transfer from Dundee FC (Scotland). He will wear the number 20 jersey. He will undergo a medical examination and is scheduled to sign a formal contract.”

The former Bolton player spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Dundee FC in Scotland. He played a crucial role in Dundee’s run to a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership after joining on loan from Forest Green.

Bakayoko’s impact as a striker led Dundee manager Tony Docherty to express his desire for the player to stay at Dens Park beyond the summer.

However, Bakayoko became a free agent after being released by Forest Green on July 10. This came after the 28-year-old made 19 appearances for the club since joining in January 2023.

While there were talks of interest from four English clubs, Bakayoko sought a new challenge outside of Europe.

Sierra Leone-born Trevoh Chalobah out of Chelsea US pre-season trip
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone-born Trevoh Chalobah out of Chelsea pre-season trip

Trevoh Chalobah has not been included in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the USA, where the team is scheduled to play five matches ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

The defender is among the players that Chelsea is looking to sell this summer and has garnered interest from Crystal Palace.

With several players vying for positions, Chelsea has chosen to leave Chalobah at home, indicating the club’s willingness to part ways with the player.

Among the selected centre-backs for the Stateside tour are Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, and summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo.

The decision to exclude Chalobah was not made lightly, highlighting the club’s careful consideration of its squad composition.

Chalobah has been with Chelsea for 17 years and is currently under contract until 2028, making it harder to transfer him.

Chelsea’s USA Tour 2024

  • Chelsea vs Wrexham – Wednesday 24 July at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
  • Chelsea vs Celtic – Saturday 27 July at Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana.
  • Chelsea vs Club America – Wednesday 31 July at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Chelsea vs Manchester City – Saturday 3 August at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Chelsea vs Real Madrid – Tuesday 6 August at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Chelsea confirmed USA trip 28-man squad
Chelsea confirmed USA trip 28-man squad
Dutch side FC Emmen eye Sierra Leone winger Jonathan Morsay
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Dutch side FC Emmen eye Sierra Leone winger Morsay

Dutch club FC Emmen is interested in signing Sierra Leonean winger Jonathan Morsay, who is currently without a club.

Morsay, 26, previously played for Cypriot side AEL Limassol, where he scored two goals in 22 league games last season.

The Greek side has recently announced that they are parting ways with Morsay, despite him having a contract until 2025.

According to Sportbladet, FC Emmen is considering offering Morsay a contract. If the deal with FC Emmen doesn’t work out, other options are being considered. Morsay, a Sierra Leone International, has previously played for Chievo Verona.

FC Emmen is a professional football club from Emmen, Drenthe. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, which is the second tier of Dutch football, after being relegated from the Eredivisie in the 2022–23 season.

Kei Kamara's Los Angeles tighten grip on Western Conference table
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Kei Kamara’s Los Angeles tighten Western Conference table grip

The Major League second-all-time top scorer played 21 minutes as Los Angeles defeated Seattle Sounders 3-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday night.

The victory means they are two points behind the rival LA Galaxy despite having played two fewer games. Denis Bouanga scored two goals for LAFC, with the first coming from a penalty kick in the 16th minute.

Mateusz Bogusz scored the second goal nine minutes later with a right-footed volley. In the 74th minute, Bouanga scored his second goal through Kei Kamara’s assist to seal the victory for LAFC.

Hugo Lloris made three important saves in the final moments to keep a clean sheet for LAFC, his ninth of the season.

With this win, LAFC remains in second place in the Western Conference and fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings, six points behind the leaders, Inter Miami.

LAFC’s next match will be at home on Friday, July 26, against Club Tijuana in the Leagues Cup opener for both clubs.

Match Highlights

Sullay Kaikai's Cambridge United end pre-season in Portugal
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sullay Kaikai’s Cambridge United end pre-season in Portugal

Cambridge United played against League Two newcomers Bromley in the second of their two pre-season friendly matches in Portugal.

Stevens, Digby, Rossi, Andrew, Brophy, Gibbons, Hoddle, Kachunga, Kaikai, Lavery, and Munday played the first hour.

In the first game – George Munday and Shayne Lavery scored, resulting in a 2-2 draw. In the second game, featuring a younger U’s side, Cambridge United lost 2-0.

The U’s fell behind after just a minute but quickly equalized and then missed some good chances. Just before the first break, Bromley almost scored.

The 28-year-old Sierra Leonean attacker joined the U’s last summer on an initial one-year deal and was a consistent performer in his first year with the Club, making 47 appearances across all competitions.

Kaikai signed a new one-year contract ahead of the new campaign. Their next in the pre-season schedule is a trip to Braintree on Friday and Ebbsfleet on Saturday.

Steven Caulker confirms deal with Turkish side Ankara Keçiörengücü
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Steven Caulker confirms deal with Turkish side Keçiörengücü

Sierra Leone captain Steven Caulker has confirmed that he is returning to Turkey to play for Ankara Keçiörengücü, a second-tier side in the TFF First League, after signing a one-year deal with an option for another year.

In December last year, Spanish club FC Malaga City announced a player/coach deal with Steven Caulker, a former defender for Tottenham and Liverpool. However, the deal was cut short due to work permit issues.

Ankara Keçiörengücü Sports Club is a Turkish sports club located in the Keçiören district of Ankara. The football club competes in the TFF First League.

On 15 January 2019, Caulker joined Alanyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig. He later signed with Fenerbahçe in June 2021 and spent the 2021–22 season on loan at Gaziantep.

In August 2022, he joined Fatih Karagümrük but left in December 2022. In January 2023, Caulker joined Wigan Athletic.

Caulker, aged 32, represented Sierra Leone in AFCON 2021 and aims to continue supporting the national side in the World Cup and 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

Newly promoted English Championship side Portsmouth are optimistic about re-signing Norwich City winger Abu Kamara this summer.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Portsmouth still interested in signing Norwich striker Abu Kamara

Newly promoted English Championship side Portsmouth are optimistic about re-signing Norwich City winger Abu Kamara this summer.

Kamara, 20, played a crucial role in helping Portsmouth win the League One title last season.

The striker, who made 52 appearances and contributed to 21 goals, attracted interest from other clubs.

Norwich plans to include the 20-year-old in their first-team squad next season, but there are rumours linking Kamara to Belgian side Anderlecht as his contract with Norwich is nearing its end.

Despite the uncertainty, Portsmouth’s sporting director, Rich Hughes, remains positive about the potential of Kamara returning to the club.

He expressed the desire to bring Kamara back, considering the player’s success and strong connection to the club.

“We would never want to rule that out because if we could find a scenario to bring Abu back, we’d absolutely love to,” Hughes told the Portsmouth News.

“The truth is he exceeded a lot of expectations and performed to a really high-level last season, which personally puts him into a really strong position.

Emmanuel Samadia's Hartford share spoils with Charleston Battery
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Emmanuel Samadia’s Hartford share spoils with Charleston Battery

Sierra Leone International left-back Emmanual Samadia played the full throttle of the match as Hartford returned home and earned a point in a 2-2 draw with the Charleston Battery.

Samadia has made twelve appearances since joining the USL Championship side. In the match, both teams had a slow start. Hartford took control and scored first in the 20th minute. Younes Boudadi’s cross was headed by Michee Ngalina into the net, giving Hartford an early 1-0 lead.

Hartford continued to dominate and scored again before halftime. Anderson Asiedu passed to Michee Ngalina, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper for his sixth goal of the season. Hartford led 2-0 at halftime.

The second half saw early action with yellow cards and a red card given to Renen Ribeiro, leaving Hartford with a player down. Goalkeeper Greg Monroe took Ribeiro’s place in the game.

Charleston scored in the 70th minute, cutting Hartford’s lead. The match ended in a draw after Charleston scored the equalizer in the 90th minute.

Hartford’s next game will be against the Riverhounds in Pittsburgh next Saturday at 7:00 pm.

Augustine Williams' Indy Eleven meet Sporting KC in US Cup semis
by FSL News

Williams’ Indy Eleven to meet Sporting KC in US Cup semis

Augustine Williams’ Indy Eleven is set to face Major League side Sporting KC in the US Cup semis in August.

Tuesday night, Indy Eleven made history by winning 2-1 against Atlanta United, advancing to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals for the first time since starting in the tournament in 2014.

Sierra Leone’s Augustine Williams scored the first goal of the match, marking his third consecutive goal in the Cup. This was also the first goal that Atlanta had conceded after keeping two clean sheets at the start of the tournament.

This victory was Indy’s first win against an MLS opponent in four attempts. Williams opened the scoring in the 31st minute with an assist from Douglas Martinez, who provided his second assist of the tournament.

The second goal which turned out to be the match-winner for Indy, was an own goal caused by a dangerous cross into the Atlanta box intended for Elliot Collier, but inadvertently deflected into the net.

Atlanta’s only goal came from Nick Firmino in the 83rd minute. Inoffensive action, Josh O’Brien had three shots on goal for Indy, while Sebastian Guenzatti had two shots on target.

Los Angeles FC face Seattle in the semifinals, while Sporting KC meet USL Championship side Augustine Williams Indy Eleven after their upset of Atlanta United.

There is a chance that forward Malachi Jones could return to play for New York City FC this season after a scary leg injury.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Malachi Jones could make a return this season after scary injury

There is a chance that forward Malachi Jones could return to play for New York City FC this season after a scary leg injury.

The youngster underwent a successful surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula of the right leg, the club confirmed last week.

The Sierra Leone-born suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg during a collision with Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar in a match on June 28 and had surgery days later.

The team’s sporting director, David Lee, mentioned that while they don’t have a specific timeline for his return, they are hopeful that he could make a comeback before the end of the season.

Jones was seen at the team’s training facility walking without crutches for the first time, which is a positive sign for his recovery.

Jones was expected to spend the year developing with NYCFC II but instead became a regular for the first team. In 14 appearances, he has started four games, scored a goal, and recorded three assists. His first career MLS goal came on May 11 against Toronto FC.