Kofi Opare (born October 12, 1990) 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 ...
who plays as a
defender. He has previously appeared for
Michigan Bucks,
Detroit City,
LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...
,
D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...
, and
Colorado Rapids.
Early life
Opare was born on October 12, 1990, in
Mampong, Ghana. His family lived in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...]
before settling in
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...
, Canada.
Career
College and amateur
After spending his youth career with St. Catharines Concord Gunners, Opare committed to the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
on March 4, 2009, where he would spend all four years of his college career. In his freshman year with the Wolverines, Opare made 14 appearances and scored his first collegiate goal on September 11 in a 3–0 victory over
Wright State
Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...
. He also went on to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, he made 25 appearances and helped lead Michigan to the
College Cup semi-final where they would fall 2–1 to the eventual champion
Akron Zips. In 2011, Opare started all 20 games for the Wolverines and finished the year with two goals and one assist and was also named All-Big Ten Second Team. In his final season with Michigan, Opare made 17 appearances and finished the year with three goals.
During his time in college, Opare also played for
Michigan Bucks in the
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...
and for
Detroit City in the
National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...
.
Professional
On January 17, 2013, Opare was selected in the second round (24th overall) of the
2013 MLS SuperDraft
The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center.
The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draft, ...
by
Los Angeles Galaxy. He signed his first professional contract with the club on March 11. On August 20, Opare made his professional debut for the club in a 2–0 victory over Costa Rican side
Cartaginés in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
.
Opare was traded to
D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...
in July 2014 with a second-round pick in the
2015 MLS SuperDraft
The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth 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 2015 convention was held Januar ...
in exchange for a swap in places in the MLS allocation order. He scored his first goal for United on May 13, 2015, against
Orlando City. Opare stayed with D.C. through the 2018 season, at which time the club declined his 2019 contract option.
On February 25, 2019, Opare joined
Colorado Rapids. His contract option was declined by the Rapids for the
2020 season.
International
Opare was called up to a training camp in Trinidad and Tobago with the U.S. U-20 national team by
Thomas Rongen in January 2009 ahead of the
2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship
The 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship was the biannual CONCACAF youth championship tournament for under-20 national teams. The 2009 edition was held in Trinidad and Tobago. All matches were played at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago and Mar ...
. During the camp, the U.S played against the Trinidad U-17 team.
However, the then 18-year-old Opare was not called up to CONCACAF U-20 Championship roster as he was not eligible to play. In May 2008
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
had updated their regulations with immediate effect and required that players reside "continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant Association" to become eligible to play for a national team in a competitive game. It was a measure put in place by FIFA to prevent countries offering citizenship to talented footballers and allowing them to play for the national team immediately despite not having any ties to the country.
The change in regulations meant that despite living in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
for four years as a teenager, Opare would not be eligible to represent
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
irrespective of holding citizenship unless he lives there for five years after the age of 18,
[ ] Opare could however represent
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in competitive football as he meets those requirements for the U.S. Opare is also eligible to play for
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, the nation where he was born.
Personal
Opare holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
University of Michigan bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opare, Kofi
Living people
1990 births
Ghanaian footballers
People from Ashanti Region
Ghanaian emigrants to Canada
Association football defenders
Michigan Wolverines men's soccer players
Flint City Bucks players
LA Galaxy draft picks
LA Galaxy players
LA Galaxy II players
D.C. United players
Colorado Rapids players
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC players
USL League Two players
National Premier Soccer League players
Major League Soccer players
USL Championship players
Ghanaian expatriate footballers
Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in the United States