Mamadou Doudou Diouf Another Freshman Soccer Sensation

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

People everywhere have heard a lot about Muslim-American soccer sensation Soony Saad, who is now a freshman at the University of Michigan. Saad in fact was recently named TopDrawerSoccer.com’s number one freshman footballer in the country. But a closer look at that list should make all of us in the ummah proud, as another Muslim is listed as number two on that elite list, Mamadou Doudou Diouf, thus putting two Muslim freshman sensations atop college soccer.

After only his first week of collegiate play Doudou Diouf was named Big East Rookie of the Week. This after scoring three goals, including a game winner, in a pair of victories for the Huskies. He hails from Dakar, Senegal, where he was a starting forward for College African Sports Etudes (CASE). . He is a sturdy striker, at 6’1”, 170 lbs, making him an effective target for passes from his midfielders. And he combines a big frame with good speed to create his own scoring opportunities as well.

Doudou Diouf has formed a particularly effective connection with sophomore midfielder Carlos Alvarez. “We have been working a lot on the connection in practice, and fortunately, we had the opportunity to work it out in the game,” Alvarez told the University of Connecticut school website. So far this season, Doudou Diouf is tied for the team lead with five goals, which is impressive not only for the fact that he is a freshman, but also for the fact that the team’s high scorer last season finished with seven goals for the entire year. He has scored his goals on a total of ten shots on goal, with one game winning goal thus far.

Doudou Diouf has also demonstrated a patient demeanor, often choosing to fake and pass rather than wildly shooting the ball. This maturity belies his young age and inexperience. In fact, Mamadou only recently turned 20 years of age on the 15th of September. So we wish a belated Happy Birthday to brother Mamadou as we anticipate what will be, inshallah, many years of seeing him and brother Soony atop the world of American soccer.

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