Manor College Soccer Player Carries Friend’s Legacy on the Pitch

Idrissa Konobundor (Academy Park High School, Sharon Hill, Pa.) is studying Pre-Radiologic Sciences at Manor College.

The pair grew up in Sierra Leone and met on the soccer field. Kamara was a good enough player that he forced Konobundor to switch positions from midfield to defense.

“He was just so much better than me that I had to switch,” Konobundor said. “We always had dreams of playing professional soccer. I feel like I’m playing for him now.”

In 2021, Kamara got sick and spent several weeks in and out of the hospital. He’d get better, but end up six a few weeks later. During one of these hospital stays, Konobundor was getting ready for his average day when he received a phone call from a friend. The only words his friend could muster were, “Victor is dead.”

“I didn’t believe him at first and said, ‘stop playing,’” Konobundor remembers. “I went to Victor’s house and I just saw everybody crying. They never told me how he died.”

Losing a childhood best friend pushed Konobundor to lose his passion for the sport.

“I just wanted to quit playing soccer,” Konobundor said. “We played together since we were little and I didn’t want to play anymore.”

A few weeks went by before Konobundor decided to get back on the pitch.

“I decided to keep playing because he always wanted to go pro,” Konobundor said. “I feel like I’m playing for him now – to make his dreams come true.”

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Today, Konobundor is pursuing that dream. In 2022, his family came to Philadelphia from Sierra Leone. They settled in Sharon Hill, where Konobundor attended Academy Park High School.

While at Academy Park, he heard about Manor College from his friend, Abu Bangura, who became a two-time Eastern States Athletic Conference (ESAC) All-conference team member in 2023 and 2024.

“He told me, ‘If you’re trying to play some good competition, come check out the college that I go to,’” Konobundor said.

After coming to a few Spring practices, Konobundor fell in love with the environment at the college. He enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester not long after. He’s fit in as a left back with the Blue Jays, starting 14 games with two goals from the defensive backfield.

Konobundor has two goals for his career at Manor College, to be on the Dean’s List as a Pre-Radiology major and to be an All-American on the soccer team. The goals are reflective of why he and his family left Sierra Leone three years ago.

“I always wanted to come to America,” Konobundor said. “Leaving from Africa and coming to America gives you better opportunities in life.”