Sorsa: Sebastian

2008-2008 (Player Details)

Right Winger

Born: Helsinki, Finland: 25-01-1984

Debut: None

5’9” 11st 3lb (2007)

In his early football career Sorsa played for a number of Helsinki-based junior clubs initially Malmin Palloseura (MPS), who had a good reputation for bringing out the best in young players, PK-35 Vantaa, FC Jokerit and FCK Salamat. In January 2002 he joined HJK Helsinki Under-Nineteen team from FC Jokerit and was taken into the HJK senior squad at the start of the 2004 season, having already made his debut for them as a substitute in a 3-0 home win over Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) on 25th October 2003.He made his debut for the season, as a substitute, in a 0-0 home draw with FC Haka on 20th May 2004 and made his starting debut four days later in a 1-1 home draw with Tornion Pallo. He scored his first goal in the 4-1 away win at Tampere 1 - 4 on 25th September 2004, after coming on as a substitute. He scored twice in fourteen games in 2004, his first full season and six of those had been as a substitute. He became a regular in the HJK team and had scored five goals in eighty-five games of which twenty-three had been as a substitute. He had gone on loan to to Finnish side Klubi 04 but only played twice. After a successful winter trial, Sorsa was signed by Dennis Wise for Leeds United, and joined on an eighteen-month contract on a Bosman transfer on 2nd January 2008. He became the club's first signing of the year. He did not appear on the pitch for the first team before the end of the season, but he was on the bench as an unused substitute in the visit to Luton Town on 26th January 2008, but unfortunately for him Dennis Wise moved to Newcastle United just two days later and his successor Gary McAllister never gave Sorsa a chance. Before joining Leeds he had been capped by the Finnish Under-Twenty-One side when he came on as an eighty-third minute substitute for Mikko Mannien in a 0-1 loss to Romania in a UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Qualifying round) game on 7th October 2005. While at Leeds he was called up for the full Finnish squad in a friendly International clash against Mexico under-23s on 6th March 2008 in Dallas, USA. He was away from 1st March until 8th March 2008 and was not available for the games against Swindon Town and Bournemouth and at that point was operating as an outside right. There did not seem to be much scope for him at Leeds and he had trials with newly-promoted Scottish Premier League side Hamilton Academical in July 2008. On 8th August 2008 it was announced that his contract with Leeds had been cancelled one year early by mutual consent and that he was free to join the Scottish club who then took him on a one year contract. He made his debut in late August 2008. After sitting on the bench unused for three games he was given his debut when he started a Scottish League Cup match on 26th August 2008 as Hamilton defeated Clyde 3-1 and he played all but three minutes of the tie before he was replaced by Derek Lyle. He then sat unused on the bench for a further game before being handed his Scottish League debut in a 2-1 win at Aberdeen on 13th September 2008 in which he played a full game. He started the next League game a week later but he was one of three players that were replaced in the sixty first minute as he made way for Steven Ettien. It proved to be his last action for Hamilton as he was unused the following weekend at Falkirk and was then released by Hamilton in January 2009 and he signed for HJK Helsinki on 25th January 2009 on a free transfer. He made his debut for his new club on 18th April 2009 in a 5-1 home win over KuPS on 18th April 2009 and is first goal followed in his third game as HJK won 2-1 at FC Haka on 29th April 2009. He went on to score six times in twenty-five starts in the 2009 season. The 2009 season was the start of HJK dominance of the Finnish League and, to date, they have finished top in each of the ensuing seasons, presenting Sorsa with six Finnish championship medals together with two Finnish Cup-winners' medals in 2011 and 2014. It has also given him the chance to participate in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in each season since 2010. He has remained a regular in the HJK team, although now playing at right back. He made sixteen starts and five games as a substitute in the League in 2010, scored six goals in twenty-four starts and four from the bench in 2011, started twenty and had one substitute appearance in 2012, scored twice in twenty-eight starts in 2013 and scored once in ten starts and nine from the bench in 2014. Fifteen League goals in one hundred and twenty-three starts and nineteen from the bench since rejoining HJK. Sorsa has often been called into the Finnish squad but has made just six appearances for his country at full international level. He made his debut in a 2-0 defeat by South Korea at the Olympiastadion, Helsinki, on 18th January 2010 when he came on as a sixtieth minute substitute for Jonatan Johansson. He made his first start for his country at Haseley Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 22nd January 2012 in a 3-2 win over Trinidad and Tobago and played seventy-five minutes before being replaced by Joni Aho. His third cap came at the Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California in a 4-2 defeat by Mexico on 31st October 2013, in which he played a full game at right back. His fourth came in a 0-0 draw with Oman at the Nizwa Sports Complex on 24th January 2014 and again he played a full game. He again started on 5th March 2014 in a 2-1 win over Hungary at ETO Park in Gyor when he played all but the final two minutes as he gave way to Joona Toivio. His sixth cap came in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic at the Olympiastadion, Helsinki, on 21st May 2014, when once again he played a full game. More recently he has been unused on the bench on 7th September 2014 in a 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands at Torsvollur, a 1-1 draw with Greece on 11th October 2014 at the Olympiastadion, Helsinki, and in a 0-2 loss to Romania at the same venue three days later.