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In January, San Diego FC traded $200,000 in general allocation money to the New England Revolution in exchange for a soon-to-be 31-year-old who has started less than half of his teams’ games over a 10-year Major League Soccer career.
It stands as one of the most important moves of their offseason.
Emmanuel Boateng brings that much to San Diego’s expansion club. The winger has a history with the Right to Dream Academy that is the cornerstone of SDFC’s organization, experience in the league and a clear-eyed view of where he fits in with a still-jelling roster.
“Experience, leadership, and at the end of the day, he’s a great man,” SDFC coach Mikey Varas said. “I think that’s the most important thing. His value system is incredible.”
Told Thursday of his coach’s praise, Boateng smiled.
“It’s nice of him to say,” Boateng said, “but there are a ton of guys in the locker room who do the same thing, too.”
Maybe so. But there aren’t many players like Boateng in MLS.
Here are three things you need to know about the veteran winger ahead of Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew at Snapdragon Stadium:
1. He’s a dreamer
A native of Accra, Ghana, Boateng joined the Right to Dream Academy in his home country before earning a scholarship to Carpinteria’s Cate School at age 15.
At Cate, he was named the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year as the nation’s top high school boys soccer player.
Boateng, who also ran the 100 meters and 200 meters in track, skipped his senior season at Cate to enroll early at UC Santa Barbara.
The Right to Dream connection made Boateng a natural fit when SDFC was looking to fill its roster in December and January. The club also added veterans who played for FC Nordsjælland, a Right to Dream club in Denmark. This summer, SDFC will open the Right to Dream Academy at its practice headquarters at Singing Hills.
“His history and connection at Right to Dream is a huge benefit for us as we look to build this club from scratch,” sporting director Tyler Heaps said in January.
2. He’s been everywhere
Boateng played just one collegiate season at UCSB before turning pro. He spent three seasons with Helsingsborgs IF in Sweden before joining Major League Soccer in 2016.
Boateng appeared in 26 games, starting 17 of them, in his first season (2016) with the LA Galaxy. He played three-plus seasons in Los Angeles before he was traded to D.C. United in 2019. Boateng spent the 2020 season with Columbus and the next four in New England before being traded to San Diego.
At the time, New England sporting director Curt Onalfo called Boateng “a true professional and valued teammate.”
3. He fits
Boateng replaced SDFC star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano on March 1, when the Mexican striker exited in the 30th minute with a leg injury.
It was exactly the role Boateng has played for much of his MLS career. Since 2019, he has come off the bench in 77 of his teams’ 122 games.
“I compete with my guys and I always want to be on the field, but there are moments when I can help my teammates be better,” Boateng said. “I don’t shy away from that.”
Said Varas: “He’s an attacker. He has a proven track record of coming off the bench and producing in the league.”
Boateng played 48 minutes on March 1 and logged 28 minutes as a substitute in last week’s 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake. He and 22-year-old forward Tomás Ángel have combined to replace Lozano, the team’s biggest star, in the lineup.
And while Boateng’s contributions go beyond the field, he has proven to be more than capable on it, too.
“He’s a big leader for us, on the field and in the locker room,” Varas said.