Less than 1 percent of men’s college soccer players go pro, according to Exact Sports. For community college players, that number is probably even lower.
Mohammad Saadeh’s response? “Statistics don’t matter.”
Saadeh, a freshman forward for Moraine Valley, doesn’t care what anyone has to say about the odds–because time and time again, he pushes through the mud and makes it work.
In the midst of a dreadful Moraine season, his passion for soccer didn’t waver: “It never went down, and it’s always going up and up. I’ve never thought about quitting.”
Only 18, Saadeh has been through a lot when it comes to soccer. At 15, he moved to Jordan and started playing for small academy teams before he was personally scouted by one of Jordan’s top-tier professional teams, Al-Wehdat.
“When I used to tell people I played for that club, they’d look at me, they’d be surprised and shocked,” he said. “It’s a really big thing over there.”
His time with Al-Wehdat didn’t come without hardships, though. In his first year there, he tried out after getting invited but didn’t make the team. And with that chip on his shoulder, he spent the next year getting physically ready.
“I spent a year working on myself, working on my body, working on my skills, and I went back the next year and they took me,” he said.
His time spent with the team made him learn what it was like to be hungry–to work, to live, to breathe soccer. As for the people there, soccer was all they had.
“It’s not really the best over there, the best lifestyle. So for them…that’s what they live for, just playing the sport, and they take pride in it,” he said.
At first, he didn’t understand the pride, the determination to make it. But as his life began to literally revolve around soccer, his understanding grew. And he became hyperfocused on being the best soccer player he could be. As any pro athlete knows, that’s the only way to beat the odds.
“I became like a new person and a whole new player,” he said. “Soccer became physical, it became a part of me.”
Through rivalry games, memories of his first goal, and the team connections he built– which still exist today–his love for the sport grew. And so did his desire to be the best. But Al-Wehdat saw differently.
“I didn’t think I was getting the opportunities I should have been getting,” he said. “I was performing well, but my minutes weren’t reflecting in the end. I wasn’t really well appreciated over there.”
Saadeh ultimately decided his talents were better spent elsewhere. And so, he came home to play at Moraine Valley.
He had known Moraine head coach Christopher Koloffon since childhood, so he got back into contact with him and almost immediately became a part of the squad. With eight new freshmen including Saadeh, hopes were high heading into the season. All of that hope was tested, though, when the Cyclones went winless for their first six games.
With that test of patience, Saadeh testifies that everyone’s mindset was strong, especially his.
“No one’s quit,” he said.
Their determination allowed them to bounce back and grab three wins before the season ended. After Wednesday’s 8-0 win over South Suburban College, the Cyclones finished with a record of 3-6-4. If other teams fall short, they have a shot to enter the playoffs.
“Why would I prepare myself for failing? Why should I have a backup plan? If I work hard enough and put myself on the right path, there’s no way I shouldn’t succeed.”
Mohammad Saadeh, MV soccer player
Even while going through a bad JUCO season, Saadeh’s mindset for the sport has stayed stronger than steel.
“For me, it’s not just a sport or a hobby. For me, it’s my life,” he said. “It’s the thing I love… no matter what happens.”
When it comes to careers, most people have second thoughts about what they do, whether their choice is really the path for them.
“I try not to have those thoughts, because what’s the point?” Saadeh said. “Why would I prepare myself for failing? Why should I have a backup plan? If I work hard enough and put myself on the right path, there’s no way I shouldn’t succeed.”
To Saadeh, soccer isn’t soccer. Soccer is air, soccer is water, soccer is food, soccer is the clothes you put on in the morning, soccer is the first thought about what you’re going to do today, soccer is why you’re happy, soccer is why you’re mad, soccer is the highs, soccer is the lows, soccer is what you work around, soccer is you.
And when soccer is life, a world without it cannot exist for you. That is why Saadeh, despite leaving Jordan, despite the team not doing well, despite the odds, laces up his cleats and puts his heart out on the pitch for the 90 minutes in every soccer match.
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