Hassan Ali "Soony" Saad ( ; ar, حسن علي "سوني" سعد, ; born August 17, 1992) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Malaysian club

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

and the Lebanon national team. Saad began his senior career with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS) side

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

in 2011, with whom he won the 2012 U.S. Open Cup and

2013 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2013, the 18th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was a soccer match which took place on Saturday, December 7, 2013 between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. ...

. He moved to Thailand with

BEC Tero Sasana Police Tero Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลโปลิศ-เทโร), formerly known as BEC Tero Sasana Football Club, is a Thai professional football club based in Bangkok. The club finished runners-up in the inaugural ...

before their 2015 season. However, due to an injury, he didn't appear for the club, and was sent out on loan to

Pattaya United Pattaya United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลพัทยา ยูไนเต็ด) was a Thai football club based in Pattaya, Chonburi Province. Defunct after the 2018 season, the club was renamed to Samut Prakan Ci ...

in the 2016 season. Saad returned to Sporting KC in 2017, and was sent on loan to their affiliate club

Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swope S ...

, before joining

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

in 2018. He then moved back to Asia, playing for Ansar in Lebanon, Ansan Greeners in South Korea, Al-Wehdat in Jordan, PT Prachuap in Thailand, and Penang in Malaysia. Born in the United States, Saad also holds Lebanese citizenship due to his origins. He is a former United States youth international and a full Lebanon international since 2013. Saad represented Lebanon at the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and the

2019 WAFF Championship The 2019 West Asian Football Federation Championship, also called Asiacell WAFF Championship Iraq 2019 due to sponsorship by Asiacell, was the 9th edition of the WAFF Championship, an international tournament for member nations of the West Asian ...

Early life

Saad was born in Wyandotte,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and grew up in the nearby city of Dearborn, known for its sizeable

Arab-American Arab Americans ( ar, عَرَبٌ أَمْرِيكِا or ) are Americans of Arab ancestry. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World. According to the Arab American Inst ...

community.

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

by birth, he also holds Lebanese citizenship due to his paternal descent. Soony's father, Ali, emigrated from Lebanon to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the 1980s to escape the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

, and met his future wife Kristene at the

University of Michigan–Dearborn The University of Michigan–Dearborn (U of M Dearborn, UM–Dearborn, or UMD) is a public university in Dearborn, Michigan. It is one of the two regional universities operating under the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, ...

. Ali encouraged Soony and his older brother Hamoody to play football.

Youth and college career

Early career

Saad began his youth career at the Michigan Wolves, Derby County Wolves's academy team, joining their under-12s. He led them to the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship and was awarded the Golden Boot Award for Most Outstanding Player. Saad later joined Vardar's U15/U16 team; in 2008, he was nominated

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

U-16 Player of the Year. A

Dearborn High School Dearborn High School (DHS) is a public high school located in Dearborn, Michigan. It was founded in 1893 in Dearborn near Greater Detroit. Dearborn High is one of the three high schools of the Dearborn City School District and is located at 195 ...

student, Saad left in fall 2008 to join the U.S. U17 Residency Program in

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries A settlement established by Maroons or escaped sl ...

Derby County Wolves and Dearborn High School

In summer 2009, Saad returned to the Derby County Wolves, and moved back to Dearborn High School for his senior year. With Dearborn, Saad set a state single-season record with 76 goals in his 2009 season, while concluding his time in high school with a Michigan record of 172 goals and 51 assists. He broke the previous state high school single-season goals record of 69 set in 2000, and previous state high school career goals record of 169 set in 1995. Saad also earned the 2009 Michigan Soccer Coaches Association "Mr. Soccer" Title, and was named the 2010

Gatorade National Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...

Michigan Wolverines

Saad joined the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

ahead of the 2010 season, playing alongside his older brother Hamoody. In their debut game, both Soony and Hamoody scored in a 2–1 victory over

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, with Soony's goal coming off a

free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...

. He had a successful freshman season, scoring 19 goals in 24 games, surpassing the previous record of 14 for most goals by a freshman at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, while setting records for shots and overall points. He helped the team win their first Big Ten Soccer Tournament and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Saad left school after his freshman year to seek a professional contract with a European team. However, he was unable to secure a move to a club in Europe; Saad returned to the United States and trained with the

NSC Minnesota Stars NSC may refer to: Sport and competition * NSC United, an American soccer team * National Scholastics Championship, an American quiz bowl competition * National Scrabble Championship, now known as the Scrabble Players Championship * National Shoot ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

Club career

Sporting Kansas City

2011: Debut season

In June 2011, Saad signed a professional contract with

(MLS). On July 5, 2011, he was allocated to

through a weighted lottery that was used to distribute players who signed with the league after the

MLS SuperDraft The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the le ...

. Saad made his MLS debut on August 17, 2011, on his 19th birthday. He scored a goal in the 72nd minute, just nine minutes after he came on, becoming the youngest goalscorer in club history. Saad also netted two more goals for Sporting KC in

MLS Reserve League The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

games against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

and

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

, and scored once in a friendly against

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

on October 12, 2011.

2012–2014: MLS Cup and Open Cup winner

Saad was part of the Kansas City side that won the 2012 U.S. Open Cup, taking part in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

against

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

, which was decided in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

. He had scored a

brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...

against Orlando City in the third round of the competition. Saad played nine games in the

2012 MLS season The 2012 Major League Soccer season was the 100th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 34th with a national first-division league, and the 17th season of Major League Soccer. The regular season began on March ...

. Saad's breakout year came during the 2013 season, scoring four goals and making four assists in 23 games in the regular season. He took part in Sporting's first-ever

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

match on August 8, 2013; Saad played as a starter against

Real Estelí Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

of Nicaragua in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...

in a 2–0 win. His first Champions League goals came on August 28, scoring both goals in a 2–0 win against Honduran side Olimpia. Saad played twice in the

2013 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs was the eighteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began in late October and culminated on December 7, 2013 with MLS Cup 2013, the eighteenth league championshi ...

, which Sporting KC won. Despite not being a regular starter during the

2014 MLS season The 2014 Major League Soccer season was the 102nd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 36th with a national first-division league, and the 19th season of Major League Soccer. This season featured 19 total clubs ...

, Saad played 22 games and scored three times, and helped Kansas City reach the

Playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

for a fourth consecutive year. He also scored two goals in two Open Cup games. His contract expired at the end of the season, with Sporting KC reserving the right to sign him in the future. Throughout his four-season stint, Saad tallied 14 goals and seven assists in 71 appearances for Sporting – eight goals and six assists in 58 MLS regular season games.

Move to Thailand

Following the end of his contract with Sporting Kansas City, Saad signed with Thai club

in October 2014, ahead of the 2015 season. He cited his goal scored with the Lebanon national team against

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

the same year in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as the reason for the club's interest in him. Due to an injury, Saad was unable to play in his first season at the club. After recovering from his injury, on March 2, 2016, Saad scored a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

in a 1–0 preseason friendly win for BEC Tero Sasana against

Samut Sakhon Samut Sakhon ( th, สมุทรสาคร, Pronunciation is a City in Thailand, capital of Samut Sakhon province. It is a stop on the Maeklong Railway. Samut Sakhon is 48 km from Bangkok. It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region ...

. He was sent out on loan to

for the 2016 Thai League 1 season; Saad scored nine goals and made nine assists in 28 league appearances, helping his side avoid relegation to the

Thai League 2 Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the s ...

Return to the United States

On January 30, 2017, Sporting Kansas City announced the re-acquisition of Saad on a two-year contract for the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and 2018 seasons, with an option for extension for the 2019 season. He made his second debut for the club against the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

on March 19, being brought on as a substitute; similarly to his first debut for Sporting in 2011, Saad helped his side win on his first game, with his 89th-minute shot being deflected into the goal by opposing goalkeeper David Bingham. After being sent on loan to

, a

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club affiliated with Sporting KC, Saad was waived during the 2018 preseason. On February 21, 2018, Saad joined fellow USL Championship side

, where he scored five league goals in 29 appearances.

Ansar

On January 18, 2019, Lebanese club Ansar announced the signing of Saad on a six-month contract. On his debut game in the

2018–19 Lebanese Premier League The 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League season began on 21 September 2018 and concluded on 21 April 2019. 2018–19 was the 58th season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese professional league for association football clubs in the country ...

, played on January 27, he scored and assisted once against Safa. On February 15, Saad scored from a 30-meter free kick in a 4–0 win against

Salam Zgharta Salam Zgharta Football Club ( ar, نادي السلام الرياضي زغرتا, lit=Zgharta Peace Sporting Club), known as Salam Zgharta or simply Salam, is a football club based in Zgharta, Lebanon, that competes in the . Founded in 1933 ...

. This was the first time in over two years that the

Beirut Municipal Stadium Beirut Municipal Stadium () is an 18,000 capacity multi-purpose stadium in Beirut, Lebanon. It is currently mostly used for football matches. History The stadium was built by the French colonials in 1935. DPHB played at the inaugural game of the ...

hosted a game. On May 10, Saad scored in the quarter-finals of the

Lebanese FA Cup The Lebanon Cup (), commonly known as the Lebanese FA Cup, is a Lebanese football annual cup competition. The first edition, held in 1937, was won by Nahda. The most successful club in the competition is Ansar with 15 titles, followed by Nejmeh ...

, helping his side defeat

Nejmeh Nejmeh Sporting Club ( ar, نادي النجمة الرياضي, lit=The Star Sporting Club) is a football club based in Manara, a district in Ras Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the . The club was established in Beirut in 1945, and ...

in the

Beirut derby The Beirut derby ( ar, ديربي بيروت) is the name given in football to any match between cross-city rivals Ansar and Nejmeh. It is considered the biggest club football game in Lebanon. The derby has historically been the most anticipat ...

. In his first year at the club Saad scored six league goals in 10 games with Ansar, as well as one cup goal, finishing second in both the league and the cup. On May 29, Ansar renewed Saad's contract for two seasons. Saad's only goals of the 2019–20 season came on August 18, 2019, when he scored his only brace for Ansar in a 5–0 win over Chabab Ghazieh in the

2019 Lebanese Elite Cup The 2019 Lebanese Elite Cup was the 22nd edition of the Lebanese Elite Cup. The competition included the six best teams from the 2018–19 Lebanese Football League season. The first matchday was played on 20 July, one day after the start of the ...

semi-final. Saad was released by Ansar in March 2020 due to financial disagreements with the club, in the midst of the

Lebanese liquidity crisis The Lebanese liquidity crisis is an ongoing financial crisis affecting Lebanon, that became fully apparent in August 2019, and was further exacerbated by both the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon (which began in 2020) and the 2020 Beirut port explosi ...

Ansan Greeners

On March 27, 2020, Saad moved to

K League 2 The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1. Hi ...

side Ansan Greeners. He had already played in Ansan's home stadium,

Ansan Wa~ Stadium Ansan Wa~ Stadium ( ko, 안산 와~ 스타디움) is a multi-purpose stadium in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's currently served as home stadium for Ansan Greeners FC. The stadium was opened in 2007 and has a capacity of 35,000 people. It is ...

, four years prior for the Lebanon national team, in a

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...

game against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Saad made his debut for his new club on May 23, coming on as a substitute in the second half against

Bucheon Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second ...

. His first-minute debut came three days later, on May 26, in a 1–0 defeat against

Daejeon Hana Citizen Daejeon Hana Citizen Football Club (Korean 대전 하나 시티즌 축구단) is a South Korean professional football team based in Daejeon that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. At the time of its foundation in 199 ...

. Saad played 11 games in the 2020 season.

Al-Wehdat

On March 27, 2021, Saad joined Al-Wehdat in the

Jordanian Pro League The Jordanian Pro League ( ar, الدوري الأردني للمحترفين) is a Jordanian professional league for men's football clubs and represents the top flight of Jordanian football. The championship consists of twelve competing teams in ...

on a one-year contract, reuniting with fellow Lebanese player

Ahmad Zreik Ahmad Adib Zreik ( ar, أحمد أديب زريق; born 27 October 1990) is a Lebanese former professional footballer who played as a winger. Club career Ahed Coming through the youth system, Zreik began his career at Ahed aged 18 in 2008. ...

and former Ansar coach

Abdullah Abu Zema Abdullah Mohammad Ali Abu Zema ( ar, عبدالله محمد علي أبو زمع; born 4 April 1976) is a Jordanian professional association football, football coach and former player. Playing career Abu Zema officially announced his retirement ...

. He made his debut on April 4, helping his side win the

Jordan Super Cup The Jordan Super Cup () is a Jordanian football championship contested by the winners of Jordan Premier League and the Jordan FA Cup The Jordan FA Cup is Jordan's premier knockout tournament in men's football (soccer), Al-Faisaly have the rec ...

by beating

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

2–0. On April 14, Saad made his

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

debut against Saudi Arabian side

Al Nassr Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yellow ...

, drawing 0–0. His first goal came on April 29, scoring the lone goal against Iranian club

Foolad Foolad Khuzestan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال فولاد خوزستان, ''Bāshgāh-e Futbāl-e Fulād-e Khuzestān'') is an Iranian football club, based in Ahwaz, Khuzestan that plays in Persian Gulf Pro League. Foolad F.C. ...

in the AFC Champions League; he became the second Lebanese player to score in the competition, following Zreik's goal three days prior. Saad made his league debut on May 4, as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 home win against

Al-Jalil Ijlil al-Qibliyya, also al-Jalil, was a Palestinian Arab village in the Jaffa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 3, 1948. In 1945 the village has a population of 680, 210 of which we ...

. He scored his first league goal on July 27, helping his team beat Shabab Al-Aqaba 4–1. On August 25, Saad scored in the

2021 Jordan FA Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

round of 16 against Al-Jalil, which Al-Wehdat won 4–0. Saad finished the season with four goals and three assists in 26 games.

PT Prachuap

On December 4, 2021, Saad returned to Thailand, joining PT Prachuap ahead of the second leg of the

2021–22 Thai League 1 The 2021–22 Thai League 1 is the 25th season of the Thai League 1, the top Thai professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1996, also known as Hilux Revo Thai League due to the sponsorship deal with Toyota M ...

. He helped his side finish runners-up in the

2021–22 Thai League Cup The 2021–22 Thai League Cup is the 12th season in the second era of a Thailand's knockout football competition. All games are played as a single match. It was sponsored by Toyota Motor Thailand, and known as the Hilux Revo League Cup ( th, ไ� ...

, losing 4–0 to

Buriram United Buriram United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด) is a professional football club based in Buriram, Thailand. The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the ...

in the final.

Penang

Saad moved to

in the

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

on December 22, 2022, ahead of the 2023 season. Having played his first game on March 1, 2023, playing all 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

, Saad scored his first goals for Penang on March 17 and 31, in consecutive games against

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

and

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

respectively. On April 9, Saad scored a brace to help his side win 4–2 against PDRM.

International career

United States

In January 2008, Saad was called up to represent the United States internationally at the under-14 level; he played in unofficial friendlies against clubs from Mexico as part of a training camp in

, scoring once against Jalisco U14. Saad played for the under-17 team during his stay in the U.S. Residency Program in Bradenton in 2008. In July, he was called up to a two-week training camp in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay, without playing. Saad featured in six games against

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

as part of a

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

tour, scoring twice and assisting once. He also played in exhibition tours against club sides in the United States and France, most notably scoring against

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

's under-18s. In February 2009, he played his final official game for the under-17s, in a 1–1 friendly draw against

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. Saad received a call-up to join the under-20s in December 2010. He played once in a friendly game against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he scored in a 2–0 win.

Lebanon

In May 2013, Saad obtained his

Lebanese passport The passport of the Republic of Lebanon ( ar, جواز سفر الجمهورية اللبنانية) (french: Passeport de la République libanaise) is a passport issued to the citizens of the Republic of Lebanon to enable them to travel outside ...

and became eligible to join the Lebanon national team. He accepted a call-up for a friendly against

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

scheduled for May 29. Saad joined the Lebanon national team in the process, as the first MLS player to do so. Saad made his international debut in the match and scored Lebanon's only goal in the 62nd minute in an eventual 1–1 draw. In March 2013, he scored Lebanon's third goal against Thailand in their 5–2 victory in the 2015 Asian Cup qualification and, two years later in September 2016, he scored his third for Lebanon against

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in a friendly. On September 5, 2017, Saad traveled with Lebanon to North Korea to play in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Due to the hostile relations between North Korea and the United States, Saad handed his

American passport United States passports are passports issued to citizens and nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides passports (in booklet form), limited-use passport cards are issued by ...

to the team manager and held on to his Lebanese one. He stated that he "grew out isbeard to look extra Lebanese" and "spoke English in a Lebanese accent" to "hide the fact that ewas American. Nevertheless, he noted that he did not encounter hostility from the locals, who "just saw it as a football team coming in. No politics involved, just football". Saad played for Lebanon in the qualifiers for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

; he scored two goals in the final two games of the

second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

in June 2021, a long-distance goal against

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

and the opening goal against South Korea. Despite losing both games, Lebanon qualified to the third (and final) round as results in other groups went in ''the Cedars''' favor. Saad scored in Lebanon's first win of the round, a 3–2 win against

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

on October 12, to help his team climb to third place in their group. He also scored a first-half goal against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

on November 11, and was close to earning Lebanon a historic win before Iran scored twice in

stoppage time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

to win 2–1. Lebanon finished their group in last place with only one win in 10 games.

Style of play

Saad started out as a striker in his youth career, and was moved out to the

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

when he transitioned to professional football at Sporting Kansas City. He was also occasionally used as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

at the international level – with positive results – during the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice from that position. Saad is a creative

playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...

known for scoring from long range, often from free kicks.

Personal life

Saad was born to Lebanese father Ali and American mother Kristene. He has a brother, Hamoody – who also played football, and two sisters, Summar and Hannan. Saad cited his father as "integral to his development" as a footballer, having coached him and his siblings as a kid. A practicing

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Saad observes

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

. In March 2020, he got engaged to Lebanese actress Malak Al Haj; the couple got married in December.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saad goal.''

Honors

Michigan Wolverines * Big Ten Soccer Tournament:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Sporting Kansas City *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Al-Wehdat *

: 2021 PT Prachuap *

Thai League Cup The League Cup ( th, ไทยลีกคัพ) is a football cup competition in Thailand. It is also known as Toyota League Cup for sponsorship reasons. It was re-formed during the 2010 domestic football league season in Thailand and runs alon ...

runner-up: 2021–22 Individual * Gatorade National Soccer Player of the Year: 2010 *

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than 30 ...

All-American Second Team: 2010 * NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region First Team: 2010 * All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

First Team: 2010 * Big Ten Freshman of the Year: 2010 * Big Ten Tournament Offensive Player of the Tournament: 2010

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saad, Soony 1992 births Living people People from Wyandotte, Michigan Sportspeople from Wayne County, Michigan Soccer players from Michigan American people of Lebanese descent Lebanese people of American descent Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Citizens of Lebanon through descent American men's soccer players Lebanese men's footballers Men's association football forwards IMG Academy alumni IMG Academy Bradenton players Michigan Wolverines men's soccer players Sporting Kansas City players

Soony Saad Hassan Ali "Soony" Saad ( ; ar, حسن علي "سوني" سعد, ; born August 17, 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysian club Penang and the Lebanon national team. Saad began his senior career with Major ...

Sporting Kansas City II players Indy Eleven players Al Ansar FC players Ansan Greeners FC players Al-Wehdat SC players

Penang F.C. players Major League Soccer players

USL League One players USL Championship players Lebanese Premier League players K League 2 players Jordanian Pro League players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players Lebanon men's international footballers American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Thailand American expatriate sportspeople in South Korea American expatriate sportspeople in Jordan Lebanese expatriate men's footballers Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Jordan Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Expatriate men's footballers in Jordan American Muslims Lebanese Muslims International sportspeople born abroad