Abu Danladi (born October 18, 1995) is a Ghanaian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

Career

Amateur & College

Abu Danladi graduated from Ghana's

Right to Dream Academy Right to Dream is a Ghanaian football academy. The academy started in 1999 training a small number of boys in Accra and grew into a residential school and training center. As of 2021 it was owned by Mansour Group. History Right to Dream Academy ...

. He attended Dunn High School in

Los Olivos, California Los Olivos (; Spanish for "the olive trees") is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tourism is popular in this rural area which is an agricultural region with an emphasis on w ...

. He played college soccer with the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

. Danladi received the

Gatorade Player of the Year award The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' ...

in 2013–14 while playing for Dunn School.

Professional

On January 4, 2017, Danladi signed a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. On January 13, Danladi was selected by the

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

with the first overall selection of the

2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 S ...

. He scored his first career MLS goal on May 7, 2017, at home versus

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

. He was the runner-up for the 2017 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, behind

Julian Gressel Julian Emil Kurt Gressel (born December 16, 1993) is a professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps. Born in Germany, he represents the United States national team. He began his career i ...

. On November 19, 2019, Danladi was selected by MLS expansion side

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

in the

2019 MLS Expansion Draft The 2019 MLS Expansion Draft was a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC that was held on November 19, 2019. On October 6, 2019, Inter Miami CF won the coin toss for the Expansion Priority Draf ...

. Following the 2021 season Danladi's contract expired with Nashville and he became a free agent. Following his release from Nashville, Danladi returned to

on 13 January 2022, signing a one-year deal. After the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by Minnesota.

Career statistics

References

External links

* 1995 births Living people Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Ventura County Fusion players Minnesota United FC players Major League Soccer first-overall draft picks Men's association football forwards Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Minnesota United FC draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players Nashville SC players Forward Madison FC players USL League One players MLS Next Pro players Minnesota United FC 2 players Footballers from Sekondi-Takoradi {{Ghana-footy-forward-stub