Saad began his youth career at the Michigan Wolves,[11] Derby County Wolves's academy team,[12] joining their under-12s.[13] He led them to the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship and was awarded the Golden Boot Award for Most Outstanding Player.[14]
In summer 2009, Saad returned to the Derby County Wolves,[15] and moved back to Dearborn High School for his senior year.[15]
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.[16] 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.[16] Saad also earned the 2009 Michigan Soccer Coaches Association "Mr. Soccer" Title, and was named the 2010 Gatorade National Player of the Year.[17]
Michigan Wolverines
"We knew there was a connection between these two (brothers), and you don't get that connection very often. They innately know where one another are (on the field), and they know how to use one another."
Saad joined the Michigan Wolverines ahead of the 2010 season,[14] playing alongside his older brother Hamoody.[18] In their debut game, both Soony and Hamoody scored in a 2–1 victory over Detroit, with Soony's goal coming off a free kick.[18]
Saad left school after his freshman year to seek a professional contract with a European team.[21] 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 of the North American Soccer League.[22]
Club career
Sporting Kansas City
2011: Debut season
"I'm a forward so scoring goals is always something in my mind. This is amazing to get a goal on my birthday, my debut. I'm just happy that I came in and was able to help the team."
In June 2011, Saad signed a professional contract with Major League Soccer (MLS).[22] 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.[22]
Saad made his MLS debut on August 17, 2011, on his 19th birthday.[23] He scored a goal in the 72nd minute, just nine minutes after he came on,[23] becoming the youngest goalscorer in club history.[4]
Saad's breakout year came during the 2013 season, scoring four goals and making four assists in 23 games in the regular season.[4] 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.[29] His first Champions League goals came on August 28, scoring both goals in a 2–0 win against Honduran side Olimpia.[30] Saad played twice in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, which Sporting KC won.[4]
Despite not being a regular starter during the 2014 MLS season, Saad played 22 games and scored three times,[31] and helped Kansas City reach the Playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.[4] He also scored two goals in two Open Cup games.[32] His contract expired at the end of the season, with Sporting KC reserving the right to sign him in the future.[31] Throughout his four-season stint, Saad tallied 14 goals and seven assists in 71 appearances for Sporting[4] – eight goals and six assists in 58 MLS regular season games.[33]
Move to Thailand
Following the end of his contract with Sporting Kansas City, Saad signed with Thai club BEC Tero Sasana in October 2014, ahead of the 2015 season.[34] He cited his goal scored with the Lebanon national team against Thailand the same year in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as the reason for the club's interest in him.[11] Due to an injury, Saad was unable to play in his first season at the club.[11]
After recovering from his injury, on March 2, 2016, Saad scored a penalty in a 1–0 preseason friendly win for BEC Tero Sasana against Samut Sakhon.[35] He was sent out on loan to Pattaya United for the 2016 Thai League 1 season;[36] Saad scored nine goals and made nine assists in 28 league appearances,[32] helping his side avoid relegation to the Thai League 2.[37]
Return to the United States
"We feel that bringing Soony back at this time is a great fit for us. There are certain aspects of his game that can really help us in areas of the field where we need additional support. We are excited to see how his game has matured over the past two years and look forward to working with him again."
On January 30, 2017, Sporting Kansas City announced the re-acquisition of Saad on a two-year contract for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, with an option for extension for the 2019 season.[4] He made his second debut for the club against the San Jose Earthquakes 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.[38]
After being sent on loan to Swope Park Rangers, a USL Championship club affiliated with Sporting KC, Saad was waived during the 2018 preseason.[39] On February 21, 2018, Saad joined fellow USL Championship side Indy Eleven,[40] where he scored five league goals in 29 appearances.[41]
Ansar
On January 18, 2019, Lebanese club Ansar announced the signing of Saad on a six-month contract.[42][43] On his debut game in the 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League, played on January 27, he scored and assisted once against Safa.[44] On February 15, Saad scored from a 30-meter free kick in a 4–0 win against Salam Zgharta.[45] This was the first time in over two years that the Beirut Municipal Stadium hosted a game.[46] On May 10, Saad scored in the quarter-finals of the Lebanese FA Cup, helping his side defeat Nejmeh in the Beirut derby.[47]
In his first year at the club Saad scored six league goals in 10 games with Ansar,[48] 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.[49]
He made his debut on April 4, helping his side win the Jordan Super Cup by beating Al-Jazeera 2–0.[57] On April 14, Saad made his AFC Champions League debut against Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, drawing 0–0.[58] His first goal came on April 29, scoring the lone goal against Iranian club Foolad in the AFC Champions League;[59] he became the second Lebanese player to score in the competition, following Zreik's goal three days prior.[60]
Saad made his league debut on May 4, as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 home win against Al-Jalil.[61] He scored his first league goal on July 27, helping his team beat Shabab Al-Aqaba 4–1.[62] On August 25, Saad scored in the 2021 Jordan FA Cup round of 16 against Al-Jalil, which Al-Wehdat won 4–0.[63] Saad finished the season with four goals and three assists in 26 games.[64]
Saad moved to Penang in the Malaysia Super League on December 22, 2022, ahead of the 2023 season.[67] Having played his first game on March 1, 2023, playing all 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Negeri Sembilan,[68] Saad scored his first goals for Penang on March 17 and 31, in consecutive games against Sabah and Perak respectively.[69][70] On April 9, Saad scored a brace to help his side win 4–2 against PDRM.[71]
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 Guadalajara, scoring once against Jalisco U14.[72]
Saad played for the under-17 team during his stay in the U.S. Residency Program in Bradenton in 2008.[11][14] In July, he was called up to a two-week training camp in Montevideo, Uruguay, without playing.[73] Saad featured in six games against Panama, Honduras and Guatemala as part of a Central America tour, scoring twice and assisting once.[74][75][76] He also played in exhibition tours against club sides in the United States and France,[77] most notably scoring against Paris Saint-Germain's under-18s.[78] In February 2009, he played his final official game for the under-17s, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ecuador.[79]
Saad received a call-up to join the under-20s in December 2010.[80] He played once in a friendly game against Canada, where he scored in a 2–0 win.[81]
Lebanon
In May 2013, Saad obtained his Lebanese passport and became eligible to join the Lebanon national team.[11] 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.[82] Saad made his international debut in the match and scored Lebanon's only goal in the 62nd minute in an eventual 1–1 draw.[83] 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 in a friendly.[41]
On September 5, 2017, Saad traveled with Lebanon to North Korea to play in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.[6] Due to the hostile relations between North Korea and the United States, Saad handed his American passport to the team manager and held on to his Lebanese one.[6] He stated that he "grew out [his] beard to look extra Lebanese" and "spoke English in a Lebanese accent" to "hide the fact that [he] was American.[6] 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".[5]
Saad played for Lebanon in the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup; he scored two goals in the final two games of the second round in June 2021, a long-distance goal against Turkmenistan[84] and the opening goal against South Korea.[85] Despite losing both games, Lebanon qualified to the third (and final) round as results in other groups went in the Cedars' favor.[86] Saad scored in Lebanon's first win of the round, a 3–2 win against Syria on October 12, to help his team climb to third place in their group.[87] He also scored a first-half goal against Iran on November 11, and was close to earning Lebanon a historic win before Iran scored twice in stoppage time to win 2–1.[88] Lebanon finished their group in last place with only one win in 10 games.[89]
In December 2023, Saad was included in the Lebanese squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[90]
Style of play
Saad started out as a striker in his youth career, and was moved out to the left wing when he transitioned to professional football at Sporting Kansas City.[11] He was also occasionally used as a left-back at the international level – with positive results – during the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice from that position.[91] Saad is a creative playmaker[92] known for scoring from long range,[93][94] often from free kicks.[45][95]
Personal life
Saad was born to Lebanese father Ali and American mother Kristene.[9] He has a brother, Hamoody – who also played football, and two sisters, Summar and Hannan.[7] Saad cited his father as "integral to his development" as a footballer, having coached him and his siblings as a kid.[11]
A practicing Muslim, Saad observes Ramadan.[96] In March 2020, he got engaged to Lebanese actress Malak Al Haj;[97] the couple got married in December.[98]
^โชคดี! ซุนนีลาพัทยากลับเมเจอร์ลีก [Good luck! Soony leaves Pattaya and returns to the MLS]. Goal (in Thai). January 17, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
^ abc"Soony Saad". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
^سوني سعد إلى الدوري اللبناني من بوابة الأنصار [Sonny Saad to the Lebanese League through Ansar's door]. Lebanon Football Guide (in Arabic). January 18, 2019. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
^ abالوحدات يهزم الجزيرة ويتوج بكأس السوبر [Al-Wehdat defeats Al-Jazira and wins the Super Cup]. mala3eb.com (in Arabic). April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
^Khaled, Nasser (June 9, 2021). تركمانستان تصعق لبنان في مباراة درامية [Turkmenistan stuns Lebanon in a dramatic match]. Kooora.com (in Arabic). Retrieved October 14, 2021.