It is gradually becoming a favourite league for Ghanaian players. From the days of Joe Addo when no one in Ghana particularly cared about the Major League Soccer (MLS), the league has grown to become a destination that attracts some of the brightest and smartest Ghanaian footballers.
And after draft weekend, there are new Ghanaian faces to keep up with in America’s fastest growing league.
Francis Atuahene and Edward Opoku are in. Edward Opoku will add to an already established Ghanaian presence in the league. Atuahene has gone to FC Dallas. Opoku will add to a strong Ghanaian presence at Columbus Crew where there are four other Ghanaian players including the established duo of Jonathan Mensah and Harrison Afful.
There is also David Accam, who has switched from Chicago Fire to Philadelphia Union. He has slowly grown to become one of the MLS’ household names. At Fire he had some of his best times – scoring 33 goals over stretch of 3 years including 14 last season and Latif Blessing, who is now on the books of Los Angeles after spending a season at Sporting Kansas City – where he impressed immensely.
While many of those players joined the MLS as established names, Attuahene and Opoku are the products of a deliberate scheme to mix academics with sports in much the same way that Lalas Abubakari at Columbus Crew did.
And with salaries that many of the players admit they won’t earn in Europe, it seems it won’t be long before a lot more Ghanaians eye the MLS.
By Yaw Ofosu Larbi|3news.com|Ghana