Mamadou "Futty" Danso (born April 27, 1983) is a Gambian 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 ...

who plays as a

centre 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 ...

Career

College and amateur

Danso was recruited to play soccer for

North Carolina Wesleyan College North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a private Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its main Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations ...

and also went on to play two years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

Southern Polytechnic State University Southern Polytechnic State University (also called Southern Poly; abbreviated SPSU) was a public, co-educational, state university in Marietta, Georgia, United States approximately northwest of downtown Atlanta. Until 2015, it was an independe ...

, where he was a two-time All-Southern States Athletic Conference selection. Danso became SPSU’s first All-America selection in 2008, after leading the conference in scoring with 19 goals, and finished his college career with 35 goals in total. During his college years Danso also played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

for Cary RailHawks U23s.

Professional

Danso was acquired by Major League Soccer (MLS) club

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

via the waiver ranking order, having left college early to turn professional, but was transferred to Portland Timbers of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

in April 2009 without ever signing a contract with MLS. Danso made his professional debut on April 25, 2009, coming on as a late substitute in Portland's game against the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Mar ...

. He scored his first professional goal on May 24, 2009, in a 2-1 victory over the

Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

. He stayed with the Timbers when they moved to MLS in 2011, playing as a defender there for three and a half seasons and helping them win the Western Conference standings and advance to the Western Conference Final in 2013. When Danso played with fellow Gambian Pa Modou Kah, the two Timbers centerbacks became known as "The Great Wall of Gambia". In June 2014, Danso was traded to the Montreal Impact in exchange for a second-round pick in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Janua ...

. In March 2015, Danso was announced as a new signing of the

Carolina Railhawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

. In January 2017, Danso was unveiled as one of

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

's import players, replacing Cédric Djeugoue who failed to be signed by the club after he had a problem with his documents. In March 2018, Danso signed for North Carolina FC (the renamed North Carolina Railhawks). On Jan. 1, 2019 he joined the Malaysian team UiTM FC. In August 2020, Portland Timbers 2, the USL reserve team of the Portland Timbers, announced that they had signed Danso. Timbers 2 opted to stop operating following the 2020 season.

International

On August 30, 2010, Danso was given his first chance at international play by being selected to the

Gambia national football team The Gambia national football team represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the ...

's September 5, 2010 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Namibia.

Coaching career

In September 10, 2020, it was announced that Danso will join

PDX FC PDX Football Club is an American soccer club from Portland, Oregon, United States. The club was established in 2017 and currently plays in USL League Two. The club previously played in the National Premier Soccer League's West Region, Northwest C ...

to serve as the head coach for the new U21 team. For the 2021 season

moved to

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

from

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

Career statistics

''As of 28 October 2017''.

International goals

:''Scores and results list the Gambia's goal tally first.''

Personal

Danso holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. Danso became an American citizen in 2018 and now holds dual citizenship with The Gambia and the United States of America.

Honors

Portland Timbers

Commissioner's Cup (1): 2009

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Danso, Mamadou 1983 births Living people Cary Clarets players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Portland Timbers players CF Montréal players North Carolina FC players NC Wesleyan Battling Bishops men's soccer players Expatriate soccer players in Canada People from Serekunda Expatriate soccer players in the United States Gambian expatriate footballers Gambian footballers The Gambia international footballers USL League Two players USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players Gambian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Gambian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Kelantan FA players Association football defenders Portland Timbers 2 players USL Championship players