Height: 5’6″
Weight: 150
Hometown: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Nationality: Sierra Leone
Birthdate: 04/19/01
Last Club: Hapoel Rishon leZion (Liga Leumit)
LAST SEASON
The 2025 season saw Emmanuel Samadia truly find his stride in the USL. Over 24 appearances, 23 starts and 2,124 minutes, the 24-year-old truly cemented himself as Hartford’s Cross Boss. With 185 crosses to his name, Samadia finished first on the team (by a margin of almost 90) and second in the entire league. While he was unable to find the back of the net himself, Samadia did finish the season tied for first in assists with five, while also sitting in second on the squad in key passes with 40. On the defensive side of the ball, Samadia added 63 clearances and 32 interceptions, along with winning 22 of 36 tackles 140 of 261 duels and 32 of 72 aerial duels.
Hartford Athletic’s Cross Boss was a crucial part of the side’s offensive production throughout their Jägermeister Cup title run, consistently setting his teammates up for success. He provided 40 crosses, 13 key passes and seven successful dribbles, as he dominated the left flank. Defensively, Samadia won six tackles for a 75% tackle success rate, while adding four blocks and two interceptions.
USL EXPERIENCE
Samadia began his USL Championship journey in 2024 with the Green & Blue. In his first season, he made 15 starts across 25 total appearances, racking up 1,516 minutes. The 5’6” wingback tied for third on the team in interceptions (25), fifth in tackles (35), and sixth in clearances (32). On the other side of the ball, the defender contributed three assists and three shots to the team’s attacking efforts.
OUTSIDE THE USL
The Freetown, Sierra Leone native began his career with FC Kallon. The club, a member of the Sierra Leone Premier League, was Samadia’s home from 2019 to 2021. During the three years leading up to 2023, he spent time with Hapoel Umm al-Fahm and Hapoel Rishon leZion of Liga Leumit. During that span, he recorded two goals and ten assists.
Samadia spent the 2022-23 season with the Hapoel Rishon leZion of Liga Leumit of Liga Leumit, the Israeli Football League’s second division. He made 33 appearances with almost 2,000 minutes played, totaling three assists. During this season, he helped his club win the Liga Leumit Toto Cup.
In 2020, he was called up to the Sierra Leone national team at just 18 years old. Since then, Samadia has accumulated 28 total caps. Samadia was called up every year after that, but he did not start seeing significant action until 2023, when he made five appearances during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Over the course of the tournament, he recorded assists in consecutive games versus Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau. The last of his national appearances that year were during World Cup Qualifiers, where he played two complete games. In 2025, Samadia put in four 90 minute performances as his nation fought to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
HONORS & AWARDS
- Nominated for Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice Defensive Player of the Year (2025)
- USL TOTW, Week 24 (2025)
- USL TOTW, Week 7 (2025)
- USL TOTW 4x (2024)
