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Player of the Week: Sainey Touray

Photo courtesy of the Harrisburg City Islanders

After Harrisburg’s dramatic upset win over New England, many wondered what the City Islanders could do for an encore.

Sainey Touray had a few ideas.

The 22-year-old Gambian attacker scored his club’s first two goals, including the game-winner, to lead them to a 3-1 upset win over the New York Red Bulls last Tuesday.

That suitably impressed PSP’s crack(ed) voting board, and we in turn voted Touray our Philadelphia Player of the Week.

For Touray, it may have seemed like sweet justice. He signed with the Red Bulls in 2008 at age 18, but he never got in a game with the first team. After scoring two goals in six Reserve League games, Touray returned to his native Gambia in 2009 to play for Wallidan FC in the tiny west African nation’s capital. He returned stateside in 2010 to sign with the Carolina Railhawks, who in turn sent him on loan to Harrisburg, where he remains today.

Against New York, he played up top as a lone striker, which provided the goalscoring opportunities. That changed his fortunes, because as of today, he has yet to score in seven league games for the USL’s City Islanders. One can forgive Touray and Harrisburg if they seemed a bit flat the following Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Wilmington in league play. But it’s a long USL season and a shorter US Open Cup. So far, Harrisburg keeps coming up big in the latter, thanks to great performances like those from Touray.

Honorable mention

Antoine Hoppenot. The rookie attacker was spectacular against D.C. United last Tuesday, netting the game-winning goal and consistently challenging the United defense in the Union’s US Open Cup tourney win. In other weeks, he might have won the award, but it’s tough to outpace a guy who scores a brace to lead his team to a major upset.

2 Comments

  1. I have to say the guy who scored the third goal for Islanders, Lucky Mkosana, is INSANELY fast. He should have been honorable mention.

  2. T of the U says:

    So, should the Union sign Touray? Just saying…lord knows we need another forward

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