the place where much of his family and many of his friends still live. Having left Africa for Europe as an infant, Soumare was raised in Paris and played for the Paris Saint-Germain youth team.
As a teenager, Soumare moved continents again, this time going from Paris to New York City. After a standout freshman year at the University of Virginia in 2006 -- a year in which the team made a run to the NCAA College Cup semifinal -- it was on to Chicago to begin his professional career, after the Fire selected Soumare second overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.
All of the globetrotting might have been unsettling for some athletes, but Soumare is quick to look at his travel experiences in a positive light.
"I've become the person I've become because of all the places I've been to," said Soumare. "All the people that have been part of my growth and have been part of my education as a young man I think have also helped me tremendously."
But if you think Soumare is ready to put his feet up and forget where he came from you'd be wrong.
"I've been fortunate enough to have met a lot of great people in America and Chicago's a great city," said Soumare. "But at the end of the day I know where I'm from and I'm from a poor country, a country in development with a lot of social issues.
"Part of my duty as a national team player is to help (out the country) and I have a lot of projects in mind," said Soumare. "I have good people that are going to help me and a lot of people that are excited. It's going to be fun and at the end of the day when we see the light at the end of the tunnel. It'll be good and it will bring hope to certain people."
In the same way that Hamlett has encouraged him to look forward as a player, Soumare clearly likes to remain focused on finding new ways to help those in need.
Soumare has been involved with the Fire's own community efforts -- supporting the LifeSource bone marrow and blood drive at Toyota Park and the Chicago Fire Foundation -- in an effort to improve the lives of Chicago's residents. Soumare also spent the 2008 MLS Cup weekend in Los Angeles participating in the MLS W.O.R.K.S. and The Home Depot-led refurbishment of a community center with other players in the league.
Soumare credits a former teammate, Diego Gutierrez, with encouraging his philanthropic involvement.
"Diego has always been a great, great friend of mine," said Soumare. "I've always had this great relationship with him. I just love what he does for the community."
Gutierrez served as a MLS W.O.R.K.S. ambassador before finishing his career in 2008. It is clear that the two men share a passion for helping out their community.
"Just having the feeling that you've helped somebody...you've helped contribute positively to a good cause ... there's just no better feeling than that -- nothing can beat it," said Soumare.
"I'm lucky, first of all, to have people that are looking up to me and then that my time is so valuable to different organizations," he continued. "It's great but it's really something I do because I enjoy doing it and I enjoy helping other people. It's something that I will always do whether I'm still playing soccer or not."
To learn more about MLS W.O.R.K.S., visit www.MLSnet.com/works. To learn more about the Chicago Fire Foundation, click here.
