Trinidad and Tobago-born Andy B. Salandy has been named commissioner of Mid-Atlantic & Southeast Region of US Soccer.
Salandy was an outstanding youth footballer at Queen’s Royal College and later St Augustine Senior Comprehensive before heading off on scholarship to Appalachian State University in the USA where he formed a lethal partnership with former Arima Senior Comprehensive star striker Carlos Lee.
Salandy is also the son of former Government Minister Eddie Hart, who recalls him as being the only one of the students to pass for a five-year school when he went to Queen’s Royal College from 1979-1986, and also spent one year at St Augustine. Hart, founder of the long-standing Eddie Hart football League, was not so happy when Salandy decided to leave a talented but struggling QRC to play for St Augustine Senior Comprehensive.
“He started to do well because everybody up here (Tacarigua) playing football. Suddenly, Andy decided leave QRC and went to St Augustine,” Hart recalled. “I was mad about that. How yuh go leave QRC to go to St Augustine? But Kenny Thomas (coach) and dem encouraged him to come and play football and they made him the captain.”
It all worked out brilliantly, with Salandy being installed captain of a “Green Machine” squad and won a scholarship to the USA.
“When exam time came Kenny Thomas called me... Kenny was the coach. Kenny said, ‘I want to congratulate you, Andy is the only one of the footballers who got his passes. He did well. So, I said ah glad to hear that and bam, he got a scholarship to Appalachian State University (1987-1990) in North Carolina.
“He has not looked back since, they inducted him in the Hall of Fame there. He is also a professor in biology and he have a son, a young footballer, who has just started going to Howard University,” Hart added.
Salandy is a Hall of Famer at Appalachian State University where he played his college soccer and holds the record for most games in the history of the program. He is a former professional player and youth coach with over 20 years of coaching experience. He is also the CEO of TSM International, a sports management company that represents professional soccer players and is one of the top sports consulting Agencies in the US.
A midfielder, Salandy, 53, was one of four former student-athletes and a coach to be inducted in the 2012 Appalachian State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Salandy excelled in both academics and football at University and was a three-time All-American and all-time leader in matches played with 79 matches for his University.
Also excelling in the classroom, Salandy was a member of the Dean’s List for his entire four-year collegiate career and member of the school’s biological honour society. He holds a Masters degree in both Pre-Med and Pre-Professional Biology.
SOURCE: T&T Express