SYLLA'S FIRST LOVE

A little more than a decade ago, Oumar Sylla demonstrated that it was much better to give than to receive.

In the waning seconds of a South Jersey Group 1 high school soccer semifinals on Nov. 11, 2015, Sylla possessed the ball, faked out two defenders, and drew the goalkeeper out of position before crossing it to Secupdino Chirino at the far post. Chirino tapped the ball home with nine seconds to spare, to lift second-seeded Lindenwold H.S. to a 3-2 victory over No. 3 Glassboro.

The attacking midfielder assisted on two goals that day for Lindenwold, which won its playoff game, as the school reached the sectional finals in any sport for the first time.

Today, Sylla is a defender, but still creating goals for his Baltimore Blast teammates in the Major Arena Soccer League.

"It's happiness feeling," he said. "It tells me we always have chemistry. I would rather assist than score. That's how I am."

The 5-foot-11, 152-lb. Sylla is tied with another defender, Milwaukee Wave's Mario Alvarez, for the league's leader with 14 assists apiece, entering this weekend's action. Sylla, who also has five goals, is tied for ninth with 19 points.

Many attacking players might have not liked being switched to the backline. Sylla? He welcomed it.

"It's easier for me because I'm more creative," he said, adding that playing “indoor defense is basically like playing in the middle, outside. You create a lot. I'm not a selfish player, so I rather be in the back. I can play on top too, sometimes. But I rather be in the back. It is [much] easier to control the team."

As in being a playmaker, like Alvarez.

"That's someone that I actually watched a lot," Sylla said. "I respect his game a lot. I like the way he controls the team."

Sylla also singled out Empire Strykers defender Berto Palmer, two-time MASL defender of the year.

"I have been watching him since I came in my first year," Sylla said.

Sylla's story is one of persistence and resilience. He was born in Guinea in western Africa. His father and uncle played soccer, the latter in the Belgium second division years ago. Sylla said he started playing when he was four.

 When his father journeyed to the United States, he was raised by his grandmother. In 2012, Sylla emigrated here as an eighth grader. He helped Lindenwold reach the playoffs for the first time, as he was named the conference's top offensive player and the all-star game MVP.

Despite his talents, Sylla found it difficult to get many colleges interested in him.

"When I came in, I barely knew a lot of people because I didn't know English," he said. "My first language is French. I couldn't, like, get to know a lot of colleges at that time, and my parents weren’t stepping up for me at that time."

He wound up attending nearby Gloucester Community College for two years, scoring nine goals and assisting on four in only 10 games, after becoming a starter in the second half of his freshman campaign.

Sylla then joined the Philadelphia Union Academy for about six months. He trained with Stoke City in England, and then Covid-19 pandemic raised its ugly hit. Sylla came back to the U.S. but lost his passport and could not return to England.

He played in local and Spanish leagues. He became a fan of longtime Blast midfielder Jonatas Melo, the team's current scoring leader, who wears No. 23.

"I followed him for a long time because No. 23 was the number my friend, who passed away, wore," he said. "So, 23 was always in my mind. We had a local Spanish tournament in Virginia, and he was there. I think coach [David] Bascome was there at the same time. So, he ended up telling him to come watch me, and he was there watching the games. And then that's when everything started. I started talking to him."

Bascome liked what he saw and signed Sylla.

Sylla, 27, joined the Blast for the 2023-24 season and showed promise as a defender, finishing with five goals and seven assists in 22 contests. He improved to 12 goals and six assists in 15 appearances last season.

His most difficult part of transition was the fact he could not be on the field for more than a few minutes at a time, as opposed to 90-plus minutes in the outdoor game.

"The one thing I wasn't used to is subbing in and out quickly," Sylla said. "I wasn't used to that that much my first year, but I've been getting better at it."

While a creative force on attack, we need to remember that Sylla is a defender and needs to find ways to limit the opposition.

"I defend a lot of big targets," he said, adding that San Diego Sockers forward Nick Perera was one of his challenges. "He's very good. So, I like to ‘cheat’ a lot, because I'm not a big player. I find a way to put myself in a position where I can win the ball faster and let it go to my teammate. I'm not a weak player, either. I get involved in 50-50 challenges. It doesn't matter who it is. I'm not really scared of any player. That's how I grew up."

Asked what his most memorable moment as a player was, Sylla replied, "I'm going be honest with you/ I haven't had one yet, but I'm hoping this year we go forward."

As in forward in the playoffs.

The Blast (5-5-2) enters the weekend and the second half of the regular season in sixth place, the final playoff spot. Baltimore did not qualify for the postseason in Sylla's rookie and reached the semifinals last season.

"My goal is to get higher than that, be a better team than last year," he said.

And this year?

"We have a lot of injuries, but we are getting everything together," Sylla said. "Last weekend, we got two wins, so that will put us in a better position in the playoffs. The team is getting along better. Everybody should come back a couple weeks, hopefully."

Sylla has a two-year-old son, Abdul Aziz, who was named after his father. Addul Aziz has watch Oumar play.

“He’s a lefty, just like his dad,” Oumar said.

"I just love the game, man, I love the game," he said. "That's why I actually grew up playing when I'm not doing anything, it makes me happy, mostly when I'm going through a lot.  I have that smile on my face."

And probably some frowns on the opposing players after he creates a goal.

Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter's perspective, will be published this spring.