The smile never left Saad Abdul-Salaam’s face as he discussed joining Columbus Crew SC, and in particular, coming home.
Abdul-Salaam grew up in Gahanna, Ohio, and went to Crew games as a kid. In 2009, he won a state championship with Gahanna Lincoln High School at Historic Crew Stadium.
Even once he became an established defender in MLS, a trip to Columbus always meant a chance to see family and friends, or a Crew game when they were home that weekend.
“The last couple years, I just tried to get back to Ohio and get back closer to home,” he said. “This is home for me, so this is a tremendous feeling knowing I get to come back home, my parents can easily go to games and I get to see all of my family friends.
“Every time I was back in town, I wanted to go to a Crew game. To finally just be on the other side of it and take the field with the Crew is a very special feeling for me.”
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Abdul-Salaam was claimed off the MLS Waivers List last Friday – two days before the club’s season opener against the Philadelphia Union. The defender was an unused sub in the match.
At 29, he’s an aggressive fullback who has experience playing across the backline and comes from winning cultures. Drafted by Sporting Kansas City in 2015, he won two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophies with the club before winning the 2019 MLS Cup with Seattle Sounders FC.
Now, he is hoping to continue that success with the reigning MLS Cup champions. Although he recently arrived, Abdul-Salaam said it’s been a smooth transition joining the team.
“I’ve only been here a little over a week, but this is a very special group,” he said. “They’re very, very close. I know it’s cliché to say, but it does feel like a family. From the moment I got here, there were a ton of smiles, a ton of jokes and good times on the field. It’s really competitive. With that right balance, I think that’s why the Crew is at the standard they’re at now.”
He’s also joined a locker room where he’s familiar with a lot of faces. Abdul-Salaam grew up with Darlington Nagbe and has University of Akron connections with Perry Kitchen and Evan Bush. The defender was a walk-on for the Akron men’s soccer team when Porter was the head coach for the Zips, but they were together for only a semester before Porter left to coach the U.S. Under-23 National Team.
Head coach Caleb Porter said Abdul-Salaam is Crew SC’s backup right back and provides depth for Harrison Afful while also allowing more development time for Marlon Hairston.
“He’s an attacking back,” Porter said of his new signing. “His strength is in his athleticism and being able to overlap and cover ground. He’s very athletic. That’s our system. We want our backs to get forward and join the attack and provide width.”
Abdul-Salaam made eight appearances for FC Cincinnati in 2020, starting in five matches. Since he entered the league in 2015, he’s made 94 regular-season appearances and has featured in the MLS Cup Playoffs on three occasions.
“He wanted to be here,” Porter said. “He’s had a smile on his face the last four days because he’s so happy to be here, so happy to be home. His mom lives in Gahanna, and players tend to play well when they’re happy, so it was a no-brainer. It was a great add.”
