Since May 2024, I have been working as an Uber driver. One of the most memorable trips I've had was when I met Ousmane Sylla. Although the trip itself was nothing out of the ordinary, Ousmane was a young man I picked up on the way to the airport. I usually ask my passengers where they are flying to, and in this case, he was headed to Washington D.C. I inquired whether it was for business or pleasure, to which he humorously replied that he couldn't quite decide. As it turned out, he was traveling to meet his college soccer team in D.C., as they were scheduled to meet the President of the United States the next day. Interestingly, his team had won the 2023 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
What struck me most about Ousmane was not his championship win, but his humility. He mentioned that he played for the Houston Dynamo, but upon researching him later, I discovered more about him on Wikipedia.
In 2020, he committed to attend Clemson University to play for the men's soccer team, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he began attending in January 2021. He made his collegiate debut on 7 March 2021, starting against the Syracuse Orange. On 13 March 2021, he scored his first collegiate goal, netting the overtime winner in a 1–0 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies, which earned him NCAA Division I men's Player of the Week honors. At the end of his first season, he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. After his sophomore season, he was named to the All-ACC Second Team and the All-South Region Second Team. On 26 August 2022, he scored a brace in a 3–2 victory in the season opener against the Indiana Hoosiers, which earned him ACC co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Sylla received first-team All-ACC and second-team All-South Region honors for the season, and was invited to participate in the MLS College Showcase.
Ahead of his senior season, Sylla was named to the ACC Preseason Watch List. On 29 September 2023, he scored a winning goal with four seconds remaining in the match to lead Clemson to a 3–2 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies, subsequently being named to the National Team of the Week, an honour he received another four times that season. The following week, he was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week. He helped the team win the national title, being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player and being selected to the All-Tournament Team. At the end of the season, he was named a first-team All-American and won the 2023 Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate player.
I cannot WAIT to see what this young man does in the future! He eventually wants to play soccer in the Olympic games!
Thank you Ousmane for the trip, the knowledge, and the conversation in general!
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