Musa Shannon

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Musa Shannon (born 1 August 1975) is a Liberian footballer who has played 11 times for Liberia and scored 1 goal for the national team.

[edit] Personal background

Born in the U.S. while his parents were attending Syracuse University, Shannon is a citizen of both the U.S. and Liberia. His family moved back to Monrovia after completing their studies and a young Musa showed promise playing on neighbourhood teams. He also developed a passion for Liberia’s national side; he grew up near the team’s stadium and would occasionally jump stadium fences to sneak into Lone Star games. He went to St. Patrick's High School in Liberia.

In 1990, with the civil war in full swing, Shannon and his family were evacuated from Monrovia by U.S. Marines under orders to remove all American citizens from the country. Shannon, then 15 years old, and his family settled in Queens, New York, and later moved to New Jersey. He earned a soccer scholarship from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh where he graduated with a degree in business administration.

[edit] Career

In 1997, Shannon was drafted out of college by the Tampa Bay Mutiny in Major League Soccer. While in Tampa, Shannon formed a dangerous partnership with Carlos Valderrama and tallied an impressive 20 goals and seven assists in 50 regular season games. In 2000, Shannon joined the Portuguese club Maritimo, a team he left after two seasons because of a falling out with team management due to his commitments to the Liberian national team. He later played for the Colorado Rapids, Vancouver Whitecaps, Kitchee FC in Hong Kong and Nancheng FC (a club from mainland China playing in Hong Kong).