BIOGRAPHY
CJ Sapong was born December 27, 1988, in Manassas, Virginia. He is a forward in Major League Soccer.
Sapong played college soccer at James Madison University, where he ended his career with 37 goals and 21 assists in four seasons from 2007–2010. He was awarded First Team All-Conference and team Offensive MVP honors all four years, a first in program history, and was the CAA Player of the Year as a senior co-captain in 2010. Sapong was a two-time NSCAA First Team All-South Atlantic Region selection. As a freshman, he was named the CAA and VaSID Rookie of the Year and chosen to the Third Team All-South Atlantic Region. Sapong made eight appearances for Fredericksburg Gunners in the USL Premier Development League in 2009, and made eleven appearances and scored four goals for Reading United during their 2010 PDL season.
On January 14, 2011, Sapong was drafted #10 overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City. He signed with the club on March 1, 2011. He made his professional debut on March 19, in Kansas City's opening game of the 2011 MLS season against Chivas USA; he scored his first professional goal after just two minutes of the game, helping his team to a 3–2 victory. Sapong was awarded the MLS Rookie of the Year Award for 2011, edging out Perry Kitchen and Michael Farfan, who finished second and third, respectively.
Sapong was loaned to USL Pro's Orlando City in July 2013. On July 18, only a week after being loaned to Orlando, Sapong was recalled by Sporting Kansas City. In total, Sapong scored one goal in three matches while tallying one assist.
On December 8, 2014, Sapong was traded by Kansas City to Philadelphia Union in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. After several seasons of being deployed on the wing with Kansas City, Sapong was positioned as the Union's lone center forward, taking advantage of his strength and hold-up play. He led the Union in goals during the 2015 season (with 9) and would build on those totals in subsequent seasons. He scored his first career hat-trick in Philadelphia's 3–0 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Talen Energy Stadium on May 6, 2017.
On October 22, 2017, Sapong broke the Union's (and his own) single-season scoring record, previously held by Sebastian Le Toux (14 goals during the 2010 season). At home against Orlando City, on the final day of the season, Sapong scored his fifteenth and sixteenth goals for the record.
On February 23, 2019, Sapong was traded by Philadelphia to Chicago Fire. Sapong's contract with the club expired at the end of the 2020 season.
Sapong joined Nashville SC in 2021.
Nashville SC
