Soony Saad

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 U-16 Player of the Year. A Dearborn High School student, Saad left in fall 2008 to join the U.S. U17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida.

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. At age 17, Saad received an offer to join German club Mainz 05, then managed by Thomas Tuchel. After featuring in a preseason friendly, he was offered a three-year professional contract worth €3,000 per month. However, he declined the deal in favor of accepting a scholarship to play collegiate soccer for the University of Michigan's…

Sporting Kansas City

2011: Debut season

In June 2011, Saad signed a professional contract with Major League Soccer (MLS). On July 5, 2011, he was allocated to Sporting Kansas City through a weighted lottery that was used to distribute players who signed with the league after the MLS SuperDraft. 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 games against the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas, and scored once in a friendly against Guadalajara 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 against Seattle Sounders FC, which was decided in a penalty shootout. He had scored a brace against Orlando City in the third round of the competition. Saad played nine games in the 2012 MLS season. 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 match on August 8, 2013; Saad played as a starter against Real Estelí of Nicaragua in the group stage 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…

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 Guadalajara, scoring once against Jalisco's under-14s. 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, Uruguay, without playing. Saad featured in six games against Panama, Honduras, and Guatemala as part of a Central America 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's under-18s. In February 2009, he played his final official game for the under-17s, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ecuador. Saad received a call-up to join the under-20s in December 2010. He played once in a friendly game against Canada, where he scored in a 2–0 win.

Lebanon

In May 2013, Saad obtained his Lebanese passport and became eligible to join the Lebanon national team. He accepted a call-up for a friendly against Oman 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…

Saad was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Dearborn, a city with a sizeable Arab-American community. He holds both American and Lebanese citizenship, the latter through paternal descent. His father, Ali, emigrated from Lebanon to the United States in the 1980s, fleeing the Lebanese Civil War, and later met Kristene, his future wife, at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. Saad has two older sisters, Summar and Hannan, and one older brother, Hamoody. Saad credited his father as being "integral to his development" as a soccer player, having coached him and his siblings during their childhood. He attended Maples Elementary School in Dearborn.