Before making a trip to the Ivory Coast in December, senior midfielder El Hadj Cisse had not visited his home and family in seven years.
It had been seven years since he left Africa for New York to attend La Salle Academy in New York City for school, and of course, soccer.
“All my family is back in Africa,” Cisse said. “I have no family here. The only family I have here is in New York City, and they helped me get here and get all my paper work. N.C. State is my family right now.”
The toughest part of that transition, according to Cisse, was learning a new language and culture while trying to excel in the sport he loves.
“It was a little bit crazy because I didn’t know how to speak English,” Cisse said. “Language was the hardest transition. Coming from a different country and speaking three different languages and coming to a country where you only speak one language. I had to get used to it.”
And just as soccer provided a sense of family for Cisse, the sport also helped him learn his new language, as he said learning to communicate with his friends on the field helped teach him English.
“I really love soccer, and when it came to soccer and trying to communicate with your friends, it was very hard,” Cisse said. “I can say soccer was the number-one key. I just used soccer to help me learn English.”
Cisse quickly learned enough to shine on the soccer field, playing club soccer for the New York Freedoms, where coach George Tarantini noticed his skills.
“El Hadj is somebody who was one of the best recruits coming from New York,” Tarantini said. “And we saw him on some other teams, and we knew he was a really quality player. And [now] he plays big time for us.”
As the second-leading scorer on last year’s team, and a captain selection for this season, Cisse said he sees his role on this team as that of a leader, particularly to the younger players.
“We’ve got some good freshmen,” Cisse said. “We played together all summer long and got to know each other, and we don’t see them as freshmen anymore. We see them as family. They’re a part of the Wolfpack family.”
According to freshman defender Tyler Lassiter, Cisse’s leadership has rubbed off thus far.
“I look up to El Hadj a lot,” Lassiter said. “He’s a big player. He changes the game in every way, mentally and physically, in every aspect of the game.”
Tarantini said the success and leadership of Cisse will have a large impact on the success of the team as a whole, and he has high expectations for Cisse and the team.
“He’s a leader, he’s tough, and he’s the captain of the team,” Tarantini said. “He works extremely hard, which is huge, because I think he can show by example what we want to accomplish. We went to the NCAAs twice with him. We expect to do a lot more with him before we’re finished.”
Now playing a pivotal role in the Pack’s success, Cisse credits his teammates for his success on the soccer field.
“I wouldn’t be one of the best scorers if my teammates didn’t help me,” Cisse said. “[Jorge] Mora and Alan [Sanchez] are the future scorers of the team. Without those two, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”
“My role is just to make sure the team stays focused and make sure we do what we need to do according to the coach.”
According to Tarantini, communication among Cisse and the “family” has improved and will be crucial in State’s success.
“I’m from South America, and he’s from Africa, so we have great conversations,” Tarantini said. “We never can get upset because we don’t understand each other or what we complain about. But we have a wonderful time.”
