A few years back Mamadou “Futty” Danso was my 6 year old son’s favorite player. I suspect it mostly had to do with his name. He would sit in the kitchen doing his homework and you could often hear him muttering “Futty” repeatedly under his breath. I hated to break it to him when I found out he had been traded, because I feared he would take it hard. He did, in fact, start crying after I told him. In the past few years he often still chooses the Montreal Impact when playing Fifa, even though he knows he has moved on from that team too.
Futty recently responded to some fan questions on Reddit, mostly Timbers-centric. If there can be any doubt why he was was a bit of a fan favorite, read his responses here. I would have taken Futty over anyone named Taylor in 2016…
[Photo: Google image search via OPB.org, however the image doesn’t show up on the page.]
Courtesy of Timbers Army Global Patrol, reposted with permission.
Footy had some time to answer our questions. Here is what he had to say:
How’s the Malaysia Super League? (/u/hikingdub)
The Malaysia super league is good. Very intense and fast. I’m enjoying my time here so far.
What plans do you have after your playing career ends? Have you thought about coaching? (/u/hikingdub)
My plan is to stay around the game as much I can. Yes I’m doing my coaching badges now and hopefully will be done with that soon.
Across all leagues & teams, which CB pairing has been your favorite and why? (/u/mrgerbek)
My center back pairing will be hard to pick. I was lucky enough to play alongside some really great and good center backs. I mean some of them I didn’t play with them long enough but were very influential in my growth. Cameroon Knowles and Scot Thompson (old USL team). I was young and new to the professional world and they guide and help me along the way. Made me feel comfortable in the group and settle in Portland well. I think on the USL era I think I had a great season along side Ross Smith (now TV analyst for the team). We had a good relationship and that translated on the field. We challenge each other to get better every day. And that made us good during games. For the MLS I would say Pa Modou Kah. It was not a long spell but we quickly became a unit and with the help of Ricketts we were almost unbreakable at time. My partnership with Kah was just natural. We clicked the first day we met. We speak the same language and came from the same country so we had things in common. He had a lot of experience that I learned a lot from. I listen to him as a big brother and he take care of me as a young brother. We do almost everything together on and off the field. So that made us understand each other and made us great partners
What is your favorite moment as a Portland Timber? (/u/passthekwarasey)
My favorite moment as a Timber…which one to pick from? I would say one of the standout moment would be scoring against Seattle in the playoffs to knock them out of the playoffs. That’s one on the field. But I think it was a memorable moment when I came back from a broken foot and when my name was announce on the PA and hear the fans just go off was top class and that will stay with me for ever.
How often do you watch a Timbers match? (/u/passthekwarasey)
I pretty much watch every game. I still follow the the team very closely. I’m a fan of Portland Timbers . I still talk to the guys on the team and some staff and front office people. And if I can’t get the game on tv I always go online to see it, especially now that I’m in Asia. One way or the other I find a way to watch the timbers. #rctid
Do you still have your log slices? If so what have you done with them? (/u/Nonyquist4me)
I kept one of my log slices, but the rest I either gave it to a fan or to some organization for good cause.
Whose idea was The Great Wall of Gambia? (/u/Oxfordsandtea)
The Great Wall of Gambia was actually Caleb porter who started saying it. It was during training. I think it was first couple of training sessions when kah arrived . So from there we made few silly videos were kah will title us as the Great Wall of Gambia.. Kah definitely made it known.
Who had the best sense of humor that you played with? Any good stories? (/u/tehDarkshadE)
Sense of humor . I would say Derek Boateng (Rayo OKC). I will leave the stories for another time.
How was the process as a player, transitioning from the USL to MLS? (/u/comptonl)
My transition from USL to MLS was very smooth. I knew the team well and the city . Players that came in for the expansion were very helpful. The coach John Spencer was around the team back the the final months of USL. Season so that made me it easy. We knew what each other is looking for. I knew the set up and the environment well.
Are there ever reactions from other players/coaches in other leagues once they learn you were a Timber? (/u/8th_Dynasty)
People will offend will be like oh yes I knew you from your Portland timber days. Players will ask a lot about the fan base and the environment around the stadium.
Do you have a favorite kit you have worn in your career? (/u/StrongLikeBull503)
I think the 2012 home and secondary kits might be on top of that list. They represent Portland in every way.
Parting words!
Once a timber always a timber