 Sapong with thePhiladelphia Union in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Nana Kwabena Sapong | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-12-27)December 27, 1988 (age 36) | ||
| Place of birth | Manassas, Virginia, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| D.C. United | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2010 | James Madison Dukes | 67 | (35) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009 | Fredericksburg Gunners | 8 | (0) |
| 2010 | Reading United | 11 | (4) |
| 2011–2014 | Sporting Kansas City | 110 | (20) |
| 2013 | →Orlando City (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2015–2018 | Philadelphia Union | 123 | (36) |
| 2019–2020 | Chicago Fire | 43 | (15) |
| 2021–2023 | Nashville SC | 74 | (17) |
| 2023 | Toronto FC | 20 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2018 | United States | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 2, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 30, 2019 | |||
Charles "CJ" Nana Kwabena Sapong (/səˈpɒŋ/; born December 27, 1988) is an American professionalsoccer player who plays as aforward.
Born inManassas, Virginia, Sapong was part of theD.C. United youth academy before playingcollege soccer for theJames Madison Dukes. After playing four seasons with James Madison, Sapong was drafted in the first round of the2011 MLS SuperDraft bySporting Kansas City as the 11th overall pick.
After his debut professional season, Sapong was named theMLS Rookie of the Year for2011. In2012, Sapong won his first championship, helping Kansas City win theU.S. Open Cup. He then was part of the side that wonMLS Cup in2013. Prior to the2015 season, Sapong was traded to thePhiladelphia Union. He played for the Union for three seasons, converting from a winger to a forward, before being traded to theChicago Fire in2019. Sapong has also represented theUnited States internationally, earning four caps between 2012 and 2018.
Sapong played college soccer atJames Madison University, where he ended his career with 37 goals and 21 assists in four seasons from 2007 to 2010. He was awarded First Team All-Conference and team Offensive MVP honors all four years, a first in program history, and was the CAA Player of the Year as a senior co-captain in 2010. Sapong was a two-time NSCAA First Team All-South Atlantic Region selection. As a freshman, he was named the CAA and VaSID Rookie of the Year and chosen to the Third Team All-South Atlantic Region.[1]
Sapong made eight appearances forFredericksburg Gunners in theUSL Premier Development League in 2009,[2] and made eleven appearances and scored four goals forReading United during their 2010 PDL season.[3]
On January 14, 2011, Sapong was drafted #10 overall in the2011 MLS SuperDraft bySporting Kansas City.[1] He signed with the club on March 1, 2011.[4] He made his professional debut on March 19, in Kansas City's opening game of the 2011 MLS season againstChivas USA; he scored his first professional goal after just two minutes of the game, helping his team to a 3–2 victory.[5] Sapong was awarded theMLS Rookie of the Year Award for 2011, edging outPerry Kitchen andMichael Farfan, who finished second and third, respectively.[6]
Sapong was loaned toUSL Pro'sOrlando City in July 2013.[7] On July 18, only a week after being loaned to Orlando, Sapong was recalled by Sporting Kansas City. In total, Sapong scored one goal in three matches while tallying one assist.[8]
On December 8, 2014, Sapong was traded by Kansas City toPhiladelphia Union in exchange for a first-round pick in the2015 MLS SuperDraft.[9] After several seasons of being deployed on the wing with Kansas City, Sapong was positioned as the Union's lone center forward, taking advantage of his strength and hold-up play.[10] He led the Union in goals during the 2015 season (with 9) and would build on those totals in subsequent seasons. He scored his first careerhat-trick in Philadelphia's 3–0 victory over theNew York Red Bulls atTalen Energy Stadium on May 6, 2017.[11]
On October 22, 2017, Sapong broke the Union's (and his own) single-season scoring record, previously held bySebastian Le Toux (14 goals during the2010 season). At home againstOrlando City, on the final day of the season, Sapong scored his fifteenth and sixteenth goals for the record.[12]
On February 23, 2019, Sapong was traded by Philadelphia toChicago Fire in exchange for up to $450,000 in Allocation Money.
The specifics of the Allocation Money are as follows: $200,000 in 2019 General Allocation Money, $100,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money, and an additional $100,000 in 2019 General Allocation Money to be conveyed to Philadelphia should the Chicago Fire acquire said funds this year.
If the Fire do not acquire an additional $100,000 in 2019 General Allocation Money to convey to Philadelphia this season, then that money conveys as GAM in 2020, and the Union also receive $50,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money from Chicago should Sapong hit certain performance incentives in 2019.[13]
Sapong's contract with the club expired at the end of the 2020 season.[14]
On February 10, 2021, Sapong signed as a free agent withNashville SC.[15]
On April 25, 2023, Sapong was traded to Toronto FC forLukas MacNaughton and up to $200,000 of general allocation money.[16] At the end of the 2023 season, the club declined his option for the 2024 season.[17]
On January 21, 2012, Sapong made his debut for thesenior side of the United States (as a second-half substitute) in the 1–0 win overVenezuela in afriendly match. On November 14, 2017, Sapong made his first start for the United States in a friendly againstPortugal, notching an assist with an incisive pass toWeston McKennie.
Born in the United States, Sapong is of Ghanaian descent.[18] On February 23, 2017, Sapong helped launch theSacred Seeds foundation, which promotes and enhances the growth of underserved communities through sustenance and self-sustainability.[19][20] He was inspired by his own experiences recovering from injuries during his soccer career and being reluctant to rely on painkillers rather than more nutritional methods.
On May 1, 2015, Sapong was arrested for DUI and reckless driving.[21] He was found not guilty of the DUI charge but still faced the reckless driving charge and was still forced to have attended an MLS league-mandated stint at a treatment facility in Malibu, California. Sapong has credited the experience with having "changed [his] life."[21]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National cup | Continental[a] | Other[b] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2011 | Major League Soccer | 34 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | — | 38 | 6 | ||
| 2012 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | – | — | 38 | 11 | ||||
| 2013 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 37 | 5 | |||
| 2014 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |||
| Total | 110 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 24 | ||
| Orlando City (loan) | 2013 | USL Pro | 4 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | – | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Philadelphia Union | 2015 | Major League Soccer | 27 | 9 | – | 4 | 0 | – | — | 31 | 9 | |||
| 2016 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | — | 33 | 7 | ||||
| 2017 | 33 | 16 | – | 2 | 1 | – | — | 35 | 17 | |||||
| 2018 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | — | 36 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 123 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | – | – | 135 | 38 | ||||
| Chicago Fire | 2019 | Major League Soccer | 32 | 13 | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 13 | ||
| 2020 | 11[c] | 2 | – | – | – | — | 11 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 43 | 15 | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 15 | |||
| Nashville SC | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 33 | 12 | 2 | 0 | – | – | — | 35 | 12 | |||
| 2022 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | — | 37 | 6 | ||||
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 74 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 18 | ||
| Toronto FC | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 20 | 1 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 370 | 90 | 16 | 2 | 25 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 377 | 97 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2012 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Sporting Kansas City
Individual