17yo goalkeeper, Mo Shour signed his first professional contract with Tacoma Defiance. Who is he?

What the Sierra-Leonese American keeper is a very promising keeper who's been in Seattle's youth ranks for years! So thanks a bunch for reading, nah let's prove that to you rather than live it there. He started playing goalkeeper at local club PAC Northwest after playing on the wing. And in the few years he's played the position he's become one of the most promising young goalkeepers in America. Even ex-PAC Northwest Goalkeeper Coach Forrest Marowitz (awesome name by the way) knew Shour was special from the moment he 1st saw him play in a proper match.

“His team had a tough opponent and he just saved shot after shot and a bunch of 1-v-1’s,” said Marowitz in heavy admiration. “He never backed down from a challenge. His coach and I looked at each other and just knew this kid was going to be a star.”
Shour’s work ethic of course propelled his growth forward by a ton as a goalkeeper thus far. And earned high praise from the coaches around him.
“He was taking multiple buses to training multiple times per week, he would train during Ramadan, he always had a smile on his face, and he wanted to do extra training, asking if he could jump in with older kids and girls’ sessions,” said Marowitz. “It's been great to see all of his hard work pay off.”
He actually played 3 matches for the Defiance in 2024 and even joined the team in 2023.

Because of all the praise he was generating Shour would also train twice per week with the Sounders through the SDP program while still playing with PAC Northwest.
And he shown his ambition and drive to improve to the Sounders by when he would go straight from Sounders Academy trainings to PAC GK sessions because of his desire to get more reps. And with better resources plus a direct line to the local MLS team, it was a very smart move on his part indeed.

His most notable moment by far was in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game where he was named MVP. “They brought in 22 players from the East and the West, and he got to show that he was the best player out of the Western pool,” said VP of Player Development Henry Brauner. “[Mo had] good presence, good personality and just kind of showed that he was a step above.” On the July 19th game he made a ton of immaculate saves especially for someone his age to lead the West team to victory. “They brought in 22 players from the East and the West, and he got to show that he was the best player out of the Western pool,” said VP of Player Development Henry Brauner. “[Mo had] good presence, good personality and just kind of showed that he was a step above.”

And from that he's only being earning more accolades. As the Washington Native Shour has been invited to 2 different U.S. U-16 Youth National Team camps. “Mo's pretty driven and ambitious himself, so as much as the coaches put into him, it's also matched by what Mo gives out and puts back into that developmental space and environment as well,” said Brauner. “He's going and playing with the national team's respective age group and he's getting international exposure there and with [the Sounders], so he's really taken advantage of all the opportunities being given.”

While he started as “playing goalkeeper for fun,” according to the man himself Shour, has turned into something far beyond his expectations. “I wasn't really looking at the future of what could happen if I kept playing the position, so it means a lot,” said Shour. “Being a goalkeeper for the Sounders is a really big deal for me.” And he's currently focusing on nothing more than the present moment. “My goal is to just keep improving at my pace and not worrying about anything other than myself,” said Shour. “Everybody's goal is to be signed with the first team, but right now, I want to keep developing my craft and try to perfect it.”

And now his dedication to the game eventually brought him to the Defiance on a full pro contract where they'll be expecting him to continue his great mentality which'll further his growth into a elite keeper for the USMNT 1 day hopefully. “If he continues to do the things he's been doing, and he continues to exhibit the behavior and values that he has been showing, he's going to be just fine,” said Brauner. “If he wants to be a professional, which I believe he does, he can get there.”

With promising young prospects like Shour, Hassan, Burney the Sounders and Defiance's future looks very bright! Thanks a bunch for reading!