When San Jose Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda faces the Seattle Sounders Saturday night at PayPal Park, he may run to the sideline more than normal during breaks in the action to sneak some water or electrolytes.
A practicing Muslim, Bouda is abstaining from food and drinks from sunrise to sundown this month in observance of Ramadan, which ends Sunday.
It may seem challenging for a pro athlete to compete under these restrictions. But that’s the point.
“On game days, it’s a little bit harder, but in general, it’s just such a month that’s full of blessings for Muslims,” Bouda said. “It’s something that we’re really proud of. It’s a month that makes us think about other people more than ourselves, because when you fast and you can’t eat or drink, it makes you feel the pain that those who don’t have enough to eat or water to drink feel.
“So, if it is hard, that’s how it’s supposed to be. That’s just the way I think about it.”
It’s actually been easier this season than in some previous years. Because Islam uses a lunar-based calendar, Ramadan can start on different months. Having the holiday in March has brought more seasonable temperatures and an earlier sunset than later in the spring. Since Quakes matches usually start at 7:40 p.m., Bouda can eat and drink before kickoff.
“It makes a difference, trust me,” Bouda said. “To drink water and get some electrolytes in you, or even to grab water in the middle of the game, it makes a difference for sure.”
After playing in the first three games of the season as a reserve, he has started the last two games – the fourth and fifth starts of his four-year career with the Quakes, who drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft after a three-year stint at Stanford.
Bouda, 24, said he wakes up earlier than usual in order to eat before sunrise, but otherwise trains like normal, though he said that Quakes coach Bruce Arena was supportive and checked to see if he needed anything.
“I don’t think it’s really affected me much,” Bouda said. “Because I’ve been able to plan, and I’ve had the support of the team here, being able to plan all my meals and making sure that I’m hydrated in the times I can eat and drink.”
He said that the first few days of Ramadan are the most challenging, but then his body starts to adjust. If he finds himself really struggling on a particular day, he also has the option of not fasting and doing a make-up day after Ramadan.
Bouda grew up in a Muslim household in the West African nation of Burkina Faso. But the 24-year-old started taking the religion more seriously and fasting during Ramadan in recent years.
“To me, whenever I’m praying, I just feel like all my worries and all the stress goes away,” Bouda said. “It’s almost like I’m surrendering all the pressure and stress and problems and things I cannot control to God.”
While Bouda played 30 games for the Quakes in the first three seasons, he also appeared with San Jose Earthquakes II in MLS Next Pro and Monterey Bay FC in the USL.
“With soccer there’s a lot of ups and downs,” Bouda said. “If there’s one thing that could continue to give me some peace and calmness it would be my religion. Throughout the world you see a lot of big-time players who are big-time Muslims as well and they show how their faith has been able to carry them through their tough times, and for me personally it’s been the case as well.”