New York City FC are delighted to announce that Kwame Awuah has agreed to join the club.
The 21-year old Canadian, who has appeared in four preseason games to date, was selected by NYCFC as the 16th overall pick in first round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
Awuah will occupy a domestic roster spot as part of the Generation adidas Canada initiative – a joint taskforce between MLS and the Canadian Soccer Assocation, pending receipt of his P1 Visa and ITC.
Kwame told NYCFC.com: “I’m glad to make it official and relieved. The guys have brought me in and welcome me and I already feel as though it’s my home.
“There’s a lot of experienced players here and I’m learning a lot from them. It’s my first time in a professional environment for this preseason and I think I’m doing well just trying to take on as much information as I can from the coaching staff and the veterans of the team.
“I always look forward to the next training session and the next game, so I’m just taking it day by day and learning as much as possible.
“Then, when the next opportunity arises hopefully I can show the fans and the coaching staff what I can do.”
Head Coach Patrick Vieira praised the UCCONN graduate’s attitude and personality after adding him to his roster for 2017.
“Going back to the MLS Combine we saw something in Kwame that we believed was good enough to compete for a place in our first-team and in preseason he’s just confirmed what we saw there,” Vieira reflected.
“We’re happy to offer him a contract and we’re happy that he accepted that contract. He’s a young player who needs to develop some parts in his game but he’s a really exciting footballer who is full of energy and has an unbelievable willingness to learn.
“He’s excited by the training and his attitude has been good on and off the field. He’s a really good guy to have around the squad.”
Sporting Director Claudio Reyna echoed Vieira’s sentiments on Kwame’s outlook to the game and highlighted the versatility he brings to the squad.
“The good thing with any young player, whether they’re coming up through the academy or a college program is to see how quickly they adapt to the speed of play and when you see that develop in such a quick time it’s usually a really good sign,” Reyna considered.
“Kwame is a great boy – he’s very humble and already well-liked by his teammates. He’s someone who will add to the squad in many different positions – not only as a left-back but also as a midfielder.
“He has a very good understanding of the game and you can see in preseason how well he’s adapted to the professional environment – he looks like he belongs.”
Kwame was NYCFC’s second acquisition of the MLS SuperDraft in Los Angeles in January after the club traded up to the 16th pick in the First Round, purchasing Seattle Sounders’ pick for $75k GAM.
Equally adept at playing at left-back or in midfield, Awuah, started all 19 games for the UConn Huskies in 2016 as a senior, scoring two goals and assisting seven.
A Toronto native, Kwame has also represented his country at youth level.
