Southern Poly’s Danso in mix for DC United

Call it premonition, or just coincidence, but when Mamadou Danso was a child, he was given the nickname ‘Futty’ (sounds like ‘footy’).

Though the name had nothing to do with soccer, it fits the standout from Southern Polytechnic University.

Danso, who grew up in Serekunda, Gambia, recently signed with DC United, the Major League Soccer team based in Washington, D.C. He got a call from the team on Feb. 13 and was flown to Washington a few days later. Now, he’s competing for a center-back spot during an eight-day preseason trip in Puerto Rico.

“Everyone is fighting for a spot,” Danso said. “I’m feeling pretty good about it right now.”

His coach at Southern Poly wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting.

“He’s probably the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” said Kom Momeni, who coached five other MLS players at Coastal Carolina.

Momeni says Danso is a very talented defender but also can be an offensive weapon. This past fall, Danso’s junior year, he scored 19 goals and had six assists.

“He has a certain soccer savvy to him that the average 22- or 23-year-old doesn’t have coming out of college,” he said.

Momeni met Danso while on a recruiting trip when he was an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina. Danso ended up enrolling at North Carolina Wesleyan, but he transferred to Southern Poly when Momeni was named coach of Poly’s new program.

“He came in very raw,” Momeni said. “We knew he was good. We didn’t know he was that good. He just got better and better as time went on.”

He led the Southern States Athletic Conference in goals, shots, shots on goal and points per game. He was among the top five nationally in each of those categories.

In December, DC United brought Danso up for a combine. They liked what they saw and signed him after a few more meetings.

His father always told him to put school before soccer, but after he got picked up, his father told him to pursue his soccer career.

“I promised him to finish school one day,” Danso said.