Swope Park Rangers forward Hadji Barry was 13 years old when he journeyed to the United States in 2006, departing West Africa and arriving on the East Coast. Barry left his six older siblings and both his parents in Guinea for an adventure in America that began in Upstate New York, continued in Orlando as his soccer career blossomed at UCF and Orlando City SC, and has now reached Kansas City with a standout debut season for SPR.
On the field, Barry leads the team with 16 goals and five assists. He has set career highs in both categories, and last month he set a new USL record with goals in eight straight games during the Rangers' playoff push.
Suffice to say, his success hasn't gone unnoticed. He's a finalist for USL Player of the Month and the frontrunner to receive Team MVP honors. Both will be awarded this week.
Off the field, Barry's contributions in the community have amounted to an equally tangible impact. Take for example the close connection Barry has formed with students and staff from across the globe at Kansas City International Academy, a public charter school serving more than 600 students - many of whom are immigrants and refugees - from kindergarten through eighth grade.
In August, Barry made a special appearance at KCIA and surprised students in their classrooms. After handing out t-shirts, bookmarks, lunchboxes and dolls, Barry visited with the students during Q&A sessions.
The following week, Barry invited KCIA families and faculty to Children's Mercy Park for an exclusive experience during the team's match against Tulsa. Students watched warm-ups from the team benches and walked onto the field alongside Barry and his teammates, but the most memorable moment would come in the 79th minute when Barry scored the game-winning goal and celebrated by running over to the guests from KCIA to show his appreciation for their support.
After the game, Barry dedicated the goal to KCIA. In addition, he hand delivered an SPR jersey signed by the entire team before posing for pictures and signing autographs for the kids.
Later this month, Barry hopes to be back at KCIA and will be returning with more gifts for the school, including soccer balls and pop-up goals as well as shoe insoles donated by The Total Soccer Show and Soccer Cooligans, ahead of the grand opening of their new soccer field.
He'll also be achieving a major milestone and taking the next step in a lifelong journey divided by 5,000 miles and split into two halves: the first 13 years in Guinea, the last 12 years in the United States.
Barry is scheduled to participate in a Naturalization Ceremony on Oct. 25 and will officially become a dual citizen.
