FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College of Charleston Men’s Soccer News
September 6, 2022
Contact | Mike Hoffman
Cell Phone | 843.302.6193 | E-Mail |
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Amro Realizes Career Dream with Spot on Jordanian U20 National Team
CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston men’s soccer player Zakaria Amro temporarily left the program
on Sunday, but it couldn’t be for a better reason.
The freshman defender was called up to the Jordanian U20 National Team for the Asian Cup qualifying round which begins Monday. His side will be the host for Group D, which also includes Turkmenistan,
Northern Mariana Islands, Syria and Chinese Taipei.
The 10 group winners and five best runners-up will join host Uzbekistan in the 2023 Finals.
For Amro, who has played in all three games with two starts as a Cougar before heading overseas, it’s the continuation of a dream come true.
“This is an incredible honor for me. I think for a player there is nothing bigger than to represent your country,” said Amro. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was a kid. But I can’t be happy
just to be there. I want to perform at a high level in front of the home fans and win.”
Amro was born and raised in Sweden and lived there his whole life before coming to Charleston. Both his parents, however, are from Jordan, and every two years he traveled there in the summer.
Eventually he got a Jordanian passport which gave him dual citizenship.
When it came time to begin considering his college options, he produced a highlight video that caught the attention of the Cougar coaching staff.
“I knew I wanted to go to college in the United States,” recalled Amro. “I talked to several schools and was contacted by Coach Keith (Wiggans), and he made me an offer. I liked the school
and went for it.”
Amro hopes to parlay his time both in Charleston and internationally into a professional soccer career, taking the steps to play for the Jordanian U23 Team and eventually the nation’s First
Team. A successful run over the next two weeks will go a long way in reaching that level.
“Gaining international experience will help me improve as a player,” said Amro. “I think I’m in a good situation right now to be challenged both professionally and personally. My goal is
to play in the MLS and hopefully some day in one of the top leagues in Europe.”