Exclusive: Soccer Sheet Speaks with Souleyman Doumbia after his Charlotte FC Debut
The Paris-born Ivorian started at left back on Saturday, and his impact was immediately felt in Charlotte's first goal against San Jose. He may get his next start sooner than you think.
Editor’s Note: Souleyman Doumbia’s statements have been translated from the original French by Adrian Singerman. To support our work, click here.
After Charlotte FC’s 4-1 domination of the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, March 22, the team catapulted to second place in the Eastern Conference and third place in the overall MLS standings - rarified air that the young club isn’t used to.
What you may not know is the four-goal fiesta at the Fortress started thanks to a new left back. Souleyman Doumbia, an Ivorian international on loan from elite Belgian club Standard Liège, was at the center of the play that led to the first goal - even though it was unclear if he would be able to start.
“It was very special. It was a very nice welcome,” Doumbia told Soccer Sheet in an exclusive interview after the match. “It’s a nice stadium, great fans, great group. They really helped me out so I could play my first minutes as easily as possible.”
While Doumbia had been training with the team since the week before, the visa process for international players can make it hard to get new players into the lineup immediately - generally, it requires players to return to their country of origin or a country where they hold citizenship to finalize their work permit before coming back to the United States.
There was a pressing need for Doumbia to be on the pitch for the San Jose match at left back. Charlotte’s usual starting option - Tim Ream - was away on international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team, and Charlotte’s depth chart at fullback has been lacking since the departure of Jere Uronen and Jaylin Lindsey after last season.
Luckily for the Crown, everything worked out and after a short trip to Canada, Doumbia returned with enough rest to play a full match - and be a major contributor.
“It was taken care of very quickly,” said Doumbia. “There was [not a problem], but I had to finish that during the day on Thursday, but finally I had to get it on Friday, but apart from that, there was no problem.”
After officially obtaining the visa on Friday, Doumbia would have to fly back to the U.S. immediately. At a post-match press conference, Soccer Sheet asked Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith about how the new left back made it to the pitch.
“He got back [Friday] night off a plane at midnight, he’s fasting for Ramadan, and he’s gone out and ended up playing ninety minutes with not a lot of training over the last week or two,” said Smith. “I thought his performance was exceptional considering everything leading into the game.”
The pressure intensified late in the match as center back Andrew Privett picked up a questionable “double jeopardy” red card on a foul that led to a successful penalty kick for San Jose, and Charlotte was forced to play a man short.
Doumbia will almost certainly start this week due to Privett’s red card suspension. Ream’s natural position is center back, and if Ream pairs with star center back Adilson Malanda, Doumbia becomes the natural choice after a stellar performance.
“I thought it was always going to be a little bit of a gamble for me to put him in, but having a natural left back, I thought, was the best option even if he didn’t last the game,” said Smith. “But he ended up lasting the game, which was a great credit to him.”
Smith also told Soccer Sheet that Doumbia had played 45 minutes in a closed-door friendly on Tuesday, even scoring a goal for his side.
Souleyman Doumbia Makes a Big Splash in a Big Stadium
Despite the rush to get a visa, fasting for Ramadan, and the spectacle of his first match at the Bank, Souleyman Doumbia was focused on the match.
“[Bank of America Stadium] is different,” Doumbia told Soccer Sheet after the match. “It’s very big, there’s a lot of fans. It makes for a different atmosphere, but when I was in the match I wasn’t paying too much attention to that because I had to concentrate. But it felt really, really good to have all those fans there supporting us.”
The atmosphere - and Charlotte’s strong performance last year - were selling points for Doumbia while he was considering a move, as was the composition of the team.
“My agents talked to me about [Charlotte FC],” said Doumbia. “And then I quickly went to inform myself regarding on how they did last year. And the group, it interested me right away, so I didn’t hesitate.”
French is the official language of Côte d'Ivoire, making the new signing the third native French speaker (along with Malanda and Diani) to join the club. Center back Bill Tuiloma, star Wilfried Zaha, and some others also speak french as a second language. Doumbia is not the first Ivorian on the team, either; that would be Zaha, who Doumbia is very familiar with.
“We had a few minutes together on the national team,” said Doumbia. “But this is the first we’ve played 90 minutes together, with the same on the same field. Because on the national team I already hung out with him a few times. And yeah it’s good, he’s someone I appreciate a great deal. He’s a good person.”
Like a plurality of residents of Côte d'Ivoire, as well as Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani, Doumbia is a practicing Muslim, and he told Soccer Sheet he works hard to keep his energy up while fasting during the month of Ramadan, which concludes this weekend.
For matches that start before or around sundown, when fasting ends, officials often facilitate players being able to eat and drink quickly.
“I’m used to [fasting for Ramadan],” said Doumbia. “It wasn’t much of a bother. But it’s true, the fact that the referee waited for me to be able to regroup before starting the match, frankly that was really nice for me, but then you still have to play the game. It was really nice of him to take that initiative, I thanked him for it.”
The new signing is ready to make an impact, but he’s already impressed the club.
“[Doumbia] looks really good and accomplished on the ball, and he understands the game,” said Smith.
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