FRISCO - As an affiliate of FC Dallas, much of North Texas SC’s preseason squad has consisted of FC Dallas Academy graduates and first-team players in need of game time. However, one of the standout performers over the last month has been 19-year-old Gambian youth international Alfusainey Jatta, who is currently on loan with the team from MFK Vyskov in the Czech Republic’s third-division.
Apart from a few highlight videos of him playing on unkempt fields with players of varying quality, little was known about Jatta heading into preseason—and for good reason. Jatta was born and raised in Abuko, Gambia—Africa’s smallest mainland country located on its western coast. Although Jatta was contracted with Czech-side Vyskov, the Gambian had never displayed his talents outside his home continent.
However, after arriving in Frisco for preseason, Jatta proved to be a genuine diamond in the rough. The 6-foot 2-inch Jatta combines an imposing frame with a deft touch on the ball rarely seen in players of his size. Although playing at the base of the midfield in Eric Quill’s 4-3-3 formation, Jatta isn’t a prototypical defensive midfielder. In addition to hard, well-timed tackling, Jatta possesses an enviable ability to switch the point of attack in the blink of an eye with pinpoint long passes. This dichotomy of strong-tackling and creative playmaking is likely what spawned his nickname: The Gambian Pogba.
Although it’s a tough moniker to live up to, North Texas SC head coach Eric Quill believes Jatta’s unique skillset and ability to impact games could propel him to upper levels of professional soccer.
“He’s a general,” Quill said. “He’s involved all the time, he makes his impact, he dictates the flow of the game in a positive way all the time. He’s able to settle it, he’s able to speed it up. You can tell he’s a high-level player in the making.”
Impressive skills and lofty nicknames aside, it’s Jatta’s work ethic and on-field leadership that has impressed his head coach the most.
“He’s a leader,” Quill said. “The guy wants to train all day, he’s always the first to arrive in the locker room in the morning and the last to leave. He’s gotten more accustomed to the culture and the team. He’s really a great human being and very humble—which is a very attractive quality when it comes to a player of his caliber.”
This humility and total dedication to soccer sets Jatta apart from other top talents—and these qualities are inherent pieces of his makeup and upbringing.
“I come from a poor family and they expect a lot from me,” Jatta admitted. “In Abuko, everybody loves soccer. I was born into a society that loves soccer. My parents love the sport as well; my dad once played and brothers do too, so that motivates me to play.”
It’s been nearly two months since Jatta left his family in Abuko to move across the Atlantic to Texas. While this is undoubtedly an enormous step for a teenager, the transition was smoothed by the unconditional support provided by Jatta’s family.
“The day of my move, I remember my father was very, very happy,” Jatta recalled. “He believed that I can do it and he always supported me. He has always been there by advising and keeping me protected. My mother and my brothers were also very happy. When I was about to leave, they were all crying—but it was tears of joy. I know it was tears of joy.”