Kwadwo Poku (born 19 February 1992) is a Ghanaian professional

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 an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

Club career

Youth

Poku played in the youth system of his hometown club, Asante Kotoko SC, in Kumasi, Ghana.

Georgia Revolution

In late 2010, Poku moved to the US and joined 4th division side

Georgia Revolution Georgia Revolution FC is an American soccer club based in McDonough, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the Southeast Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. T ...

ahead of their 2011 season. Playing as a striker in the 2012 and 2013 NPSL seasons Poku was his team's top scorer and in the 2013 season he also contributed a team-high seven assists. In May 2013, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 win over

Real Colorado Foxes Real Colorado Foxes were an American soccer team based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, United States. Founded in 2008, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Divi ...

in the first round of the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

Atlanta Silverbacks

Poku moved to the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL on January 24, 2014. During his time at the club he made 25 appearances, scoring twice, including a winning goal in the 91st minute against MLS side Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the US Open Cup. Silverbacks manager and technical director

Eric Wynalda Eric Boswell Wynalda (born June 9, 1969) is an American soccer coach, television commentator, and retired player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage on Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. Previously, he served as head coach ...

described Poku as one of the best players in NASL, adding that he "might be too good for the MLS too".

New York City FC

In January 2015, Poku was signed by

MLS 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 ...

expansion side

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

after they acquired Poku's MLS rights from

Seattle Sounders FC 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 ...

in exchange for a

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 ...

pick. Poku quickly became a fan favourite at New York City for his eye catching performances, he was named to the MLS 24 under 24 at the end of the 2015 season.

Miami FC

After failing to earn consistent playing time under new coach

Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...

, he was sold to

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

of the NASL in late June 2016, for a reported fee of $700,000.

Anzhi Makhachkala

On 17 January 2018, Poku signed for Russian club

FC Anzhi Makhachkala Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб «Анжи́» Махачкала́, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional football club based in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala. Founded ...

until 31 May 2020.

Tampa Bay Rowdies

On 26 June 2018, Poku returned to the United States and signed with

USL 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 ...

team

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

. He scored his first goal for the team on 25 August 2018 in a 1–2 against

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

Europa

On 27 June 2020, Poku signed for

Europa FC Europa FC is a football club from Gibraltar which plays in the Gibraltar National League. As with all other clubs in the territory, Europa FC currently shares the Victoria Stadium on Winston Churchill Avenue. The club also operates a women's ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

International career

During August 2015, Poku showed interest in playing international football for both

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 ...

and the

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 ...

national teams. United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann reportedly approached Poku and asked him to switch nationality following his impressive performance in MLS for New York City FC; however, Poku did not have US citizenship. On 10 October 2015, Poku received his first call up from Ghana for a friendly against

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 ...

. Poku played 8 minutes after being subbed on in a 1–1 draw. Poku holds a U.S. green card which also qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS and NASL roster purposes.

Honours

Individual

* NYCFC Etihad Player of the month: August 2015

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

*
Garevolution.comAtlantasilverbacksfc.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poku, Kwadwo 1992 births Living people Ghanaian footballers Ghanaian expatriate footballers Ghana international footballers Association football midfielders Georgia Revolution FC players Atlanta Silverbacks players New York City FC players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Miami FC players FC Anzhi Makhachkala players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate footballers in Russia North American Soccer League players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Russian Premier League players Footballers from Kumasi Europa F.C. players Expatriate footballers in Gibraltar United Premier Soccer League players