At age 23, Ghana’s Kwadwo Poku has become one
of the hottest commodities in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Even in the presence of legends Frank Lampard and Andrea
Pirlo, the young Ghanaian midfielder was still grabbing headlines for New York
City FC with 26 games, four goals and seven assists to his name.
It has remained the wishes of NYCFC fans that
Poku remains in the starting XI and until October 13, Ghanaian fans have been requesting
his inclusion into the national team while some United States soccer fans were
harboring a subtle hope that the Ghanaian may switch nationality in the near
future.
In fact, when he was invited to play for Ghana
in a friendly against Canada, MLSsoccer.com, in their report, assured that
Poku’s participation in that game will not cap-tie him
to Ghana.
When Ghana head coach Avram Grant finally paid
heed to Ghanaian fans and handed him an international debut against Canada in
Washington DC, Poku was given only eight minutes in an advanced central
midfield role, but he seized the initiative to such an extent that one
journalist in the postgame press conference wondered why he wasn't called on
sooner, while another asked Grant point-blank if the NYCFC cult hero would be
called back in the future.
Poku's international debut is the latest and greatest milestone
on his rise from obscurity to sudden fame. The powerful midfielder was playing
in the fourth-tier NPSL less than two years ago, and he admitted that the eight
minutes against Canada was a surreal moment.
“It feels good. It was my
first time in the team and playing with these guys is different – although I'm
from there, it's really different playing with guys you've never played with”,
he told MLSsoccer.com.
“It's been crazy. I know people back home – even my parents –
will look at this, and it's something I've always dreamed about. It's been a
long journey, but hopefully, intending to God, it's working out fine.
“Everybody was telling
me, 'great job.
“That's one thing they
were looking to bring in the team, because they didn't have that type of
somebody who wants to get the ball and just make something happen. I think they
are happy to have me”, Kwadwo Poku noted.
Six months ago, almost nobody knew who he was. Nowadays, you can
find 25,000 New Yorkers chanting his name, begging NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis
to bring on the Ghanaian.
Poku has been a revelation in NYCFC's inaugural season, and he
seems to have embraced his role as a game-changing substitute.
What sets him apart is that he has the size and strength usually associated
with a No. 9, but is a devastating passer of the ball from anywhere in the
attacking third, especially when faced up as a No. 10.
If you can pass the ball, you can play the game, and Poku plays
it well. Come next season, expect him to shed his super-sub label and become a
focal point.
Those with technical eye see him to be a bit of an enigma in
this league. He has some gifts on the ball – if he gets the ball in space and
is running at a guy, he can wrong-foot him and hit a shot, but he also has an
eye to hit a pass that can make the defense come apart.
It is believed that
Kwadwo Poku
averages 2.7 chances created per 90 minutes, most among players under 24years in
MLS this season.
Kwadwo Poku
was transferred from the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) on January 23, 2015.
He signed
with the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL on January 24, 2014, made 25
appearances for Atlanta, scoring twice, including the winning goal in the 91st
minute against MLS side Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the US Open Cup.
In 2013, he
led the Georgia Revolution (NPSL) in scoring while notching a team-high seven
assists, scored a hat-trick in the Revolution’s 4-3 win over the Real Colorado
Foxes in the first round of the US Open Cup.
He is said
to have played in the youth system of his hometown club, Asante Kotoko SC, in
Kumasi, Ghana.
His role model is Manchester City’s Yaya
Toure, who he had a chance to meet in the preseason.
Growing up in Ghana, Poku played the same holding
midfield position and was a defensive midfielder in NYCFC’s first ever match
against St. Mirren.
Poku came to the United States with the hopes
of playing college soccer.
However, when he couldn’t get the proper
paperwork sorted out, Poku went to play for the Georgia Revolution in the NPSL.
Poku immediately proved himself one of the top
players for the Revolution, leading the team in goals in 2011-12 and assists in
2013.
He scored a hat trick in a first-round 2013 US
Open Cup match against Real Colorado Foxes, a match attended by then Atlanta
Silverbacks technical director Eric Wynalda.
He signed Poku to his first professional
contract in January 2014.
He shone again in the 2014 US Open Cup with
the Silverbacks, scoring a game-winning goal against Real Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake, Chicago and Seattle battled to
obtain his rights with the Sounders eventually winning the Discovery Claim.
However, Seattle didn’t offer Atlanta much for
Poku and NYCFC eventually traded a conditional 2017 draft pick for his rights.
Before he became a fan favorite at Yankee
Stadium, Poku was a cult hero in Atlanta.
The son of a former professional soccer
player, Poku’s aunts and uncles helped him when he was making his transition to
living in the United States.
Additional Information: MLSsoccer.com.
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