“All credit to Servando.”
Those were Hadji Barry’s first words following the 2-1 loss to Stoke City on Wednesday night, in which Barry tallied his first goal for the first team. But the 23 year-old former UCF player was nothing but his humble self after the match.
For Orlando City fans, Barry has been a name mentioned often as a key piece of the future for the club. They’ve seen him score four goals for OCB and be a constant offensive threat for the USL side.
And for the past two MLS matches, Barry has been in the starting XI and slowly been blossoming. Barry knows the significance of this playing time for a young player like himself.
“It has really helped me,” Barry explained. “You know, as a young player, coming into this season I said to myself, ‘Everything I get this year is a bonus.’” Barry has taken advantage of these bonuses. “Every time I’m getting the opportunity, I’m making the best of it.”
Playing on a grand stage for a Major League Soccer club against an English Premier League club can be overwhelming for a young player from Guinea.
“For me, it was like a dream come true.”
Hopefully this was just the beginning of Barry’s dreams, because based on his play, the stage is going to get a lot bigger than a mid-week fixture against an EPL affiliate.
