Joseph Niouky

Joined the team midway through preseason training, meeting up with the team on March 10 in North Carolina after receiving his P-1 Visa just days before … a traditional central midfielder who plays box to box … adds grit and determination in the midfield … steady in his defensive duties, but doesn’t shy away from going forward when the opportunity presents itself … primarily speaks French and his native language, with goalkeepers coach Remi Roy (French) and Gambian teammates Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi, respectively, serving as translators in most cases.

BEFORE MLS: Played Dakar, Senegal-based Port Autonome from 2005-09 … before joining Port Autonome, he featured for ASC Diaraf, another club based in Dakar, for four seasons.

PERSONAL: Son of Christine Kouassy … has one sister, Odille (16) … in his down time, listens to music and watches TV … is also an avid video gamer … his favorite soccer team is Brazil, and his favorite player is Kaka.