Any history of the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS)
season will not be complete without the mention of various Ghanaian players
plying their trade in the league.
The 2015 MLS did not only see higher representations
from Ghana but also produced a Ghanaian MLS Cup winner, a Ghanaian Eastern
Conference champion, and a Ghanaian Western Conference champion.
There was also a Ghanaian winner of the Canadian
Championship (Voyageurs Cup).
A Ghanaian goalkeeper made the best save of the 2015
MLS season and a club like Chicago Fire named a Ghanaian as their MVP of the
year.
Lloyd Sam (New York Red Bulls), Dominic Oduro
(Montreal Impact), Kofi Opare (DC United), Gershon Koffie (Vancouver Whitecaps),
Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Portland Timbers) and Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew) all
made it to the MLS Post Season playoffs with Afful and Kwarasey keeping the
flag of Ghana high in the 2015 MLS Cup Final.
Apart from the usual torchbearers, Patrick Nyarko,
Dominic Oduro, Lloyd Sam, Kofi Opare and Gershon Koffie, the 20th edition of
the MLS officially welcomed Ghanaian stars Adam Larsen Kwarasey, David Accam
and Kwadwo Poku into the league.
Harrison Afful joined in the middle of the season
while Ishmael Yartey also had a loan stint in the course of the season.
Yartey played 227 minutes for Portland Timbers in
five games when he joined the team in late March, before returning to his
mother club. He managed to provide one key assist in his short stay.
Some Ghanaian-born Americans also kept the season alive
with their natural Ghanaian soccer flair.
Kwame Watson-Siriboe featured for New York City FC with
C. J Sapong competing in the colors of Philadelphia Union. Houston Dynamo paraded
Kofi Kwarteng Frempong Sarkodie while Gyasi Zardes continued his remarkable LA
Galaxy story.
www.ghsoccerus.net’s
Richard Adjei Yirenkyi takes a look at how Ghanaian players fared in the 2015
MLS:
Adam
Larsen Kwarasey, Portland Timbers
Adam Larsen Kwarasey’s maiden season in the MLS for
Champions Portland Timbers will go down as one of the eventful soccer seasons
for the Ghanaian goalie.
He joined the Timbers on December 8, 2014 in
preparations for the 2015 MLS season and quickly capped a wonderful debut
season in the MLS with series of breathtaking saves that earned Portland
Timbers the Western Conference Championship as well as the much coveted MLS
Cup.
His hard work did not go unnoticed as one of his
many wonderful saves won him the 2015 MLS Save of the Year.
Kwarasey became a hero from the Portland Timbers'
shootout victory over Sporting Kansas City in the Knockout Round of the Audi
2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, and later added 2015 MLS Save of the Year honors to his
list of accolades.
Kwarasey’s flying save on August 15 against Real
Salt Lake beat out the 31 other candidates, finally edging the Vancouver
Whitecaps' David Ousted in the final voting.
It is the first time a Portland Timbers player has
won the Save of the Year honors.
The award was decided by a fan vote, this year
utilizing a new, bracket-style format. The field was comprised of the 32 Save
of the Week winners that were earned by goalkeepers during the 2015 regular
season.
In the 31st minute of a scoreless match at Real Salt
Lake, Kwarasey made a spectacular fingertip save of a Luke Mulholland blast
from nearly 30 yards to keep the Timbers’ in the match. The ball was cleared
from the Portland area, but Mulholland hit a perfectly timed first-time volley
from distance that appeared headed to the upper left corner.
Kwarasey was quick to react, lunging high to his
right to push the ball just beyond the goal for a corner kick. The save proved
instrumental, and Timbers defender Nat Borchers scored in five minutes
into second-half stoppage time to give Portland the 1- 0 win.
Out of the 32 saves that contested the award,
Kwarasey had two saves in contention.
On April 24, Kwarasey’s late block in Week 7 against
New York City earned him his first ever Save of the Week in the MLS.
Kwarasey nabbed the Save of the Week for the first
time after coming up huge with a clutch block on Khiry Shelton in the
dying moments of the Portland Timbers' 1- 0 win over New York City FC.
Then on August 21, Kwarasey won the Save of the Week
for the second time. This time round, that historic save went on to win him the
Save of the 2015 season.
The Timbers goalkeeper helped preserve his
league-leading 11th shutout with a beautiful leaping save on a Luke
Mulholland laser from outside the box.
Kwarasey’s impressive maiden season highlights
include playing120 minutes, logging a penalty kick goal and the decisive save
in a 2-2 draw (7-6 win on penalties) against Sporting KC in the Western
Conference Knockout Round on October 29; started 33 of the team's 34 regular
season matches; ranked first in MLS with 13 clean sheet; earned a shutout
September 9 against Kansas City in a scoreless draw; logged three consecutive
shutouts from August 2 to15; registered a 313-minute shutout streak from July
25 to August 21; tallied clean sheets on June 6 (New England), June 20
(Houston) and July 5 (San Jose); registered his fifth shutout on May 27 in a
1-0 win over DC United; made four saves in a 2-1 win over Montreal on May 9;
earned his fourth shutout of the season on May 2 against Vancouver; made five
saves in a 1-0 win over New York City FC on April 19; tallied a clean sheet,
making two saves in a scoreless draw at Sporting KC on March 21; earned a clean
sheet in his Timbers and MLS debut on March 7, saving two shots in a scoreless
draw against Real Salt Lake and made four saves in a 3-1 win over Seattle in
the U.S. Open Cup on June 16.
Kwarasey’s regular season statistics reads 33 games
played and started, 2,970 minutes played with an impressive 80 saves.
In the post season playoffs, he played and started
all five games for Portland Timbers with as many as 480 minutes. He also made
eight saves in the playoffs to help Portland Timbers win the Western Conference
Championship and the MLS Cup.
Harrison
Afful, Columbus Crew SC
On July 30, Harrison Afful officially became a
player of Columbus Crew after a successful move from Esperance Sportive de
Tunis as a Discovery Player.
He quickly warmed himself into the first team of the
Crew and made nine appearances after joining the club as a Discovery Signing.
Afful started his first match for Crew SC at right
back against New York City FC on August 19, playing 60 minutes and tying for
the team lead in crosses from open play with seven.
He started again when Crew SC played against
Sporting KC on August 22 and lasted for 70 minutes.
Then Afful completed a full 90 minutes in a start at
New York City FC on August 29.
He returned from an international assignment and
continued where he left off when Crew played as guests of Philadelphia Union on
September 12, notching his first assist for his new team.
Afful recorded his second assist of the season at
New York on October 3 and later helped the club keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 win
at Toronto on October 17.
On Decision Day on October 25, Afful helped his side
to a 5-0 victory over DC United.
So after joining Columbus Crew SC in the middle of
the 2015 MLS, Harrison Afful did not only help his side to win the Eastern
Conference Championship, but he also made an inspirational start to his MLS
career with nine games played in the regular season.
In all, Afful played 760 minutes with two assists
and three shots with one on target.
After helping Crew SC to the post season, Afful
played and started all five games making 466 minutes. He also recorded four
shots with one on target but ended the post season with two yellow cards.
Harrison Afful and his Crew won the Eastern
Championship but failed to annex the MLS Cup when they succumbed to Adam
Kwarasey’s Portland Timbers.
Lloyd
Sam, New York Red Bulls
In 2015, Lloyd Sam and his New York Red Bulls
teammates won their second Supporters’ Shield, and second in the last three
seasons.
After setting a new franchise record with 18 wins in
a season, Lloyd Sam and his colleagues were among the favorites to clinch the
MLS Cup but were shocked by Harrison Afful’s Columbus Crew in the Eastern
Conference Championship.
Sam played as many as 31 games in the regular
season, starting in 27 of those games.
After playing 2,281 minutes in the year
under review, Sam scored 10 goals and assisted in seven.
Lloyd Sam also had as many as 32 shots with an
impressive 20 shots on target.
In the post season playoffs, Sam played and started
all the four games Red Bulls played. He made 356 minutes, had a single assist
and a single shot but no shot on target.
Gershon
Koffie, Vancouver Whitecaps
2015 was Gershon Koffie’s fifth season in the MLS
and it was 2015 that he capped his 100 appearance in the MLS with a 25-yard
thunderbolt to help Vancouver Whitecaps to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on
May 30.
It was this same year under review that Koffie and
his Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Dominic Oduro's Montreal Impact by 2-0 (4-2 on
aggregate) to snatch their first ever Canadian Championship (Voyageurs Cup).
That victory secured the 'Caps' a place in 2016
season's CONCACAF Champions League.
Gershon Khoffie was an integral part of the history
making as he played 84 minutes for the 'Caps'.
Apart from the above highlights, Gershon Koffie
played as many as 28 regular season games for Vancouver. He started 22 of those
games and garnered 2,001 minutes, a single goal and 13 shots with two on
target.
The Whitecaps made it to the post season playoff and
Gershon Koffie played in the Caps’ two games starting all. He made 126 minutes
and even though he could not score in the playoffs, he made three shots with
one on target.
Kofi
Opare, DC United
Kofi Opare’s season with DC United was somewhat
modest even though the team made it to the post season.
In the 2015 MLS regular season, Opare played 18
games, starting 17. He had one goal to his credit after nine shots and a single
shot on target.
The 25-year old defender was in action for as many
as 1,615 minutes for DC United in the regular season.
In the post season, Opare started all the two games
played by DC United with a total of 171 minutes played.
Dominic
Oduro, Montreal Impact
2015 was another eventful season for Dominic Oduro
and his Montreal Impact team.
The 30-year old Ghanaian has spent a decade in the
MLS making him one of the experienced Ghanaian players in the league.
The Canadians made it to the post season playoffs
and Oduro was hugely influential in such a feat.
He played a total of 28 games in the regular season
starting in 18 of those games.
He registered eight goals after playing a total of
1,671 minutes.
Out of his 50 shots in the regular season, 20 of
them were shots on target.
In the post season playoffs, Oduro played all their
two games starting one. He played 67 minutes in the playoffs with a shot on
target.
David
Accam, Chicago Fire
David Accam joined Chicago Fire on December 19, 2014
from Swedish club Helsingborgs IF.
In 2015 he appeared in 24 MLS matches, started 21. He
scored a team-high ten goals en route to team MVP and Golden Boot honors. He also
tallied two assists.
His regular season debut was against San Jose
Earthquakes on March 22 when he entered the match at halftime.
Accam scored his first goal against New York City on
April 24. He scored at Columbus on May 22, at DC United on June 3, recorded a
goal and assist against Orlando City on June 6, scored at Columbus on July 19,
scored against Dallas on August 3, at Orlando on August 29, at New York Red
Bulls on September 11, at Montreal on September 23 and against New England on
October 3.
In the U.S. Open Cup, Accam appeared in two matches,
started one as the Fire reached the semifinal round.
In his first season in the MLS with Chicago Fire as
a striker, Accam played 24 games, started 21 games, and scored 10 goals out of
1,865 minutes. He made two assists, had 67 shots with 35 on target.
Patrick
Nyarko, Chicago Fire
Patrick Nyarko has been a trusted player for Chicago
Fire since he joined the club in 2008 during the MLS SuperDraft.
In November 2014, Nyarko suffered a torn ACL and
underwent a major surgery that took him out of the game for almost a year.
His return in 2015 was extra special and emotional. Nyarko
had three goals and four assists in 19 regular season games, 14 of which were
starts.
He scored in his first MLS appearance of the year at
Houston on July 3. He had another goal and an assist at Philadelphia on August
16; then followed up with another goal against New York Red Bulls on August 26.
Apart from the assist at Philadelphia, he provided a
pair of assists at Toronto on September 26.
In the U.S. Open Cup, Patrick Nyarko provided an
assist in his first action of the year, setting up teammate Mike Magee for the
third goal in a 3-1 result against the Charlotte Independence on June 30. He
also scored in the Fire’s 3-1 quarterfinal win against Orlando on July 22.
At the end of the 2015 MLS regular season, Patrick
Nyarko garnered a modest statistics of 19 games played with 14 games started.
He scored three goals in 1,222 minutes and made 4 assists. Out of his 19 shots,
eight were on target.
Kwadwo
Poku, New York City FC
Kwadwo Poku was transferred from Atlanta Silverbacks
(NASL) to the newly created MLS franchise, New York City FC on January 23,
2015.
At age 23, Poku has become one of the hottest
commodities in the 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 27 games, four goals and seven assists to his name.
It has remained the wishes of NYCFC fans that Poku
remains in the starting XI.
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.
It is believed that Kwadwo Poku averaged 2.7 chances
created per 90 minutes, most among players under 24 years in MLS this season.
His maiden career statistics stands at 27 games
played of which he started six, scored four goals after 978 minutes played.
He made seven assists, had 18 shots with 10 on
target.
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