Kofi Kwarteng Frempong Sarkodie (born March 22, 1991) is an American
soccer player.
Career
Youth, College and Amateur
After graduating from the
IMG Soccer Academy
IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...
in 2008, Sarkodie attended the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...
.
Sarkodie started in all 23 games as a freshman and scored in his very first game against
Notre Dame. He made the ''
Soccer America
''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the US, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California.
History and profile
The magazine was founded by Clay Be ...
'' All-Freshman first team honoree and was first team All-
MAC. As a sophomore, he was also awarded first team All-MAC for the second year in a row. Sarkodie had a breakout year in 2010, finishing with eight goals and six assists, helping the
Zips
Zips (also ''Siggies'' or ''Geeps'') is a slang term in the United States that was especially in use in the early 20th century. It was often used as a derogatory slur by Italian American and Sicilian American mobsters in reference to newer im ...
to a
College Cup. Accolades Sarkodie was awarded following his junior season included
NSCAA
The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...
All-America first team,
Soccer America Player of the Year,
Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season first team,
College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player, College Cup All-Tournament Team, and his third straight first team All-MAC selection.
While in college, Sarkodie was also a member of the
Michigan Bucks
Flint City Bucks is an American association football, soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
The club was founded in 1995 as the Mi ...
of 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 syst ...
but he never made an appearance for the club.
Professional
Houston Dynamo
On January 13, 2011, Sarkodie was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the
Houston Dynamo in the
2011 MLS SuperDraft
The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...
. He made his professional debut on March 25, getting the start in a 1–1 draw with the
Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
.
Sarkodie made 7 MLS appearances his rookie season, as well as one appearance in the
Open Cup, as the Dynamo finished 2nd in the
Eastern Conference. However, Sarkodie did not feature in the playoffs as the Dynamo reached
MLS Cup 2011
MLS Cup 2011, the 16th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was played between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2011 season. The soccer match was played at the Home Depot Center in Ca ...
.
During the 2012 season, Sarkodie barely played for the first 6 months, making 2 appearances for 20 minutes total during the first 26 MLS games.
In August, Sarkodie played well in
CONCACAF Champions League play and earned himself more league minutes, making a substitute appearance on September 2 in a 3–1 loss to the
Chicago Fire. He made his first MLS start of the season four days later in a 1–0 win over
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...
and started Houston's final 7 MLS games of the season.
Sarkodie ended the 2012 MLS regular season with 10 appearances and 1 assist, helping the Dynamo finish 5th in the East and qualify for the playoffs.
On November 11, he scored his first professional goal to help Houston to a 3–1 victory against
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 Supp ...
in leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Sarkodie started all 6 of Houston's games and scored 1 goal during the
2012 MLS Cup Playoffs
The 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs was the seventeenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 31, and culminated on December 1, 2012 with MLS Cup 2012, the seventeenth league championsh ...
, helping the Dynamo reach
MLS Cup 2012
MLS Cup 2012, the 17th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was a rematch between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2012 season. The soccer match was played at the Home Depot Center in ...
, where Houston lost to the
LA Galaxy for the second straight year, this time by a score of 3–1.
Sarkodie also made 3 appearances and had 1 assists during the
Champions League group stage, helping Houston finish top of their group.
On March 2, 2013, Sarkodie started the Dynamo's opening match of the season, a 2–0 win over D.C. United.
Sarkodie appeared in 33 of Houston's 34 MLS regular season matches, all of them starts, as well as picking up 4 assists.
He helped the Dynamo finish 4th in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. On November 6, Sarkodie picked up an assist in extra time to help Houston defeat the
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
2–1 in leg 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, giving the Dynamo a 4–3 aggregate win. He played the full match in all 5 of Houston's playoff games as they reached the Conference Finals, where they lost 2–1 to
Sporting Kansas City on aggregate.
During the season, Sarkodie also played once in the Open Cup, played in both legs of Houston's
2012–13 CCL quarterfinals aggregate loss to
Santos Laguna
Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...
, and made 3 appearances during the
2013–14 CCL group stage, as the Dynamo finished 2nd in their group, failing to advance.
Following the season, Sarkodie was named the 2013 Dynamo Defensive Player of the Year.
Sarkodie enjoyed another strong season in 2014, making 32 MLS appearances, all starts, and recording 4 assists.
However, it was a poor season for Houston as a team, finishing 8th in the conference and missing out on the playoffs. He also made 2 Open Cup appearances during the season.
In the opening game of the 2015 season, Sarkodie collided heads with teammate
Raúl Rodríguez early during a match against the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...
, creating a rather large gash on Sarkodie's head. The trainers wrapped up his head and gave him a clean jersey without blood, and Sarkodie returned to the game. Later in the match, the referee ordered Sarkodie off the pitch so the trainers could re-bandage his head and give him another clean jersey, this time without his name and number on the back. Soon after returning to the field, Sarkodie picked up an assist after setting up
Giles Barnes, giving Houston a 1–0 win. Sarkodie ended the regular season with 16 appearances and 1 assist, but saw his playing time decrease towards the end of the season as he dealt with a bone bruise in his right knee.
It was another disappointing season for Houston, as they missed out on the playoffs after finishing 8th in the
Western Conference.
San Jose Earthquakes
On April 1, 2016, Sarkodie joined the
San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for
targeted allocation money
Allocation money, in Major League Soccer, represents an amount of money that teams may use to sign players and/or allocate to their salaries to get under the salary cap.
Reasons for obtaining
MLS teams receive general allocation money for these r ...
in a sign-and-trade deal with Houston, reuniting him with former Dynamo head coach
Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear (born July 26, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former player. On January 18, 2022, he was named an assistant coach by FC Cincinnati, his first coaching role since serving as the interim head coach of the LA Galaxy.
As a p ...
. He made his Earthquakes debut on April 16, playing the full match in a 3–1 loss to the
Portland Timbers.
In July, Sarkodie suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for months.
He ended his first season in San Jose with 13 MLS appearances and 1 in the
Open Cup as the Earthquakes finished 9th in the
Western Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.
On January 26, 2017, Sarkodie signed a new contract with San Jose. He made 18 appearances and had 1 assist during the regular season, helping the Earthquakes finish 6th in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs.
Sarkodie got the start in San Jose's opening game of the playoffs, a 5–0 loss to the
Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Mar ...
.
His contract with the Earthquakes expired following the 2017 season.
Trelleborgs FF
On July 13, 2018, Sarkodie signed with Swedish
Allsvenskan club
Trelleborgs FF
Trelleborgs Fotbollsförening, more commonly known as Trelleborgs FF or simply Trelleborg, is a Swedish football club located in Trelleborg. Formed 6 December 1926, the club plays in Superettan, the second tier in the Swedish Football system. ...
. He made his debut on July 30, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 loss to
Hammarby IF. Sarkodie made 11 appearances for Trelleborgs as they finished last in the Allsvenskan and were relegated to the
Superettan. He left the club at the end of 2018.
Austin Bold FC
On February 27, 2021, Sarkodie returned to professional soccer and the state of Texas by signing with
Austin Bold FC
Austin Bold FC was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circ ...
of the
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
.
International
Sarkodie was a member of the
U.S. U-17 in the
2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He also played for the
U-18,
U-20, and
U-23 national teams.
Career statistics
Honors
University of Akron
*
NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship
The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...
:
2010
*
Mid-American Conference Tournament: 2008, 2009, 2010
Individual
*
NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Defensive Most Outstanding Player:
2010
*
Soccer America Player of the Year Award
Beginning in 1984, Soccer America Magazine began naming a college player of the year. At the time ''Soccer America'' was the best source for U.S. soccer, especially collegiate soccer which was rarely covered by the national news services. Consequ ...
: 2010
*
Dynamo
"Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...
Defensive Player of the Year:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Personal life
Sarkodie was born and raised in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
. His parents, Amaning and Olivia, are both originally from
Kumasi, Ghana
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...
.
Olivia's mother, Kofi's grandmother, was the tribal queen of her village.
Sarkodie has two brothers,
Kwame
Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people (such as the Ashanti and Fante) in Ghana which is given to a boy born on Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight da ...
and Ofori, and one sister, Mimi.
Kwame played college soccer for
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
while Ofori played for
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.
References
External links
*
Akron Zips bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkodie, Kofi
1991 births
Living people
American soccer players
Akron Zips men's soccer players
Flint City Bucks players
Houston Dynamo FC players
San Jose Earthquakes players
Trelleborgs FF players
African-American soccer players
American people of Ghanaian descent
NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player winners
Soccer players from Ohio
Houston Dynamo FC draft picks
Major League Soccer players
Allsvenskan players
People from Huber Heights, Ohio
United States men's youth international soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's under-23 international soccer players
All-American men's college soccer players
Association football defenders
Expatriate footballers in Sweden
American expatriate soccer players
American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
Austin Bold FC players
21st-century African-American sportspeople