Emmanuel Boateng (footballer, born 1994)

Not to be confused with Emmanuel Boateng (footballer, born 1996) or Emmanuel Boateng (footballer, born 1997).

Emmanuel Boateng

Boateng with LA Galaxy in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Emmanuel Agyenim Boateng
Date of birth	(1994-01-17) 17 January 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) [1]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	San Diego FC
Number	24
Youth career
2006–2009	Right to Dream Academy
	Cate School
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	18	(4)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013	Ventura County Fusion	5	(1)
2013–2016	Helsingborgs IF	37	(4)
2016–2019	LA Galaxy	108	(9)
2019–2020	D.C. United	3	(0)
2020	Columbus Crew	10	(0)
2021–2024	New England Revolution	66	(6)
2025–	San Diego FC	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:41, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Emmanuel Agyenim "Ema" Boateng (born 17 January 1994) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club San Diego FC.

Early life and education

Boateng was born and raised in Ghana in a home that lacked running water and electricity. ^[2] As a preteen, he was selected to join the Right to Dream Academy where he combined academic studies with football training. ^[2]

In 2009 at the age of 15, Boateng moved to the United States on a scholarship to attend Cate School in Carpinteria, California. ^{[3] [4]} In addition to playing for the Cate School team, he also appeared for other local youth sides in Santa Barbara Soccer Club and South Coast Strikers. ^[5] Boateng received the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year award, presented to him by former winner Alexi Lalas, and became the first recipient in Cate School's 100+ year history across all sports. ^{[2] [3]} He skipped his final year of high school to enroll early at the University of California, Santa Barbara, despite interest from Manchester City F.C. to sign him on professional terms. ^[3]

While at UCSB, Boateng played college soccer for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team. ^[4] In his first year in 2012, he appeared in 18 games, scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists. ^[6]

Career

Helsingborg

Boateng playing for Helsingborg

During the summer of 2013, he played with USL Premier Development League side Ventura County Fusion while still enrolled in college. ^[7]

He appeared in 5 games for the Fusion, scoring once. ^{[8] [9]}

After receiving an invitation to train with the Swedish Allsvenskan side Helsingborgs IF later that summer, Boateng paid for his airplane ticket across the Atlantic Ocean to be able to visit the club. He made a big impression and soon thereafter they signed him to a three-and-a-half-year contract in July 2013. ^{[5] [10] [11]} He would appear in 37 Allsvenskan matches over his three seasons with the club, scoring 4 times in the league. ^[12] He also helped the club reach the Svenska Cupen final in 2014, scoring two goals in five appearances, and came on as a second-half substitute in the final itself; a 0–1 defeat to IF Elfsborg on 18 May. ^[13]

LA Galaxy

Boateng playing for LA Galaxy

Boateng was transferred to LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer in January 2016. ^{[14] [15]} He made his debut against the Colorado Rapids on 12 March 2016, where he replaced Mike Magee, but was unable to save the Galaxy from a 1–0 loss. ^[16] He scored his first goal for the club on 23 April 2016 against Real Salt Lake, helping the Galaxy to a 5–2 victory, while also notching two assists. ^{[17] [18]} This performance earned him Player of the Week honors. ^[19] Boateng scored his second goal of the season on 7 September, the first goal of a 3–3 draw at RSL. ^[20]

During the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, in LA's knockout round match against Real Salt Lake, Boateng fouled Javier Morales, conceding a penalty which was successfully taken by Joao Plata to tie the game at 1. However, Boateng atoned for his mistake by scoring two goals within eight minutes, leading Galaxy to a 3–1 win. ^[21] After the game, teammate Landon Donovan compared Boateng's first goal to Lionel Messi, saying that "he has that in him", while manager Bruce Arena described his performance as an "excellent, break out game". ^[22]

Boateng's contract with LA Galaxy concluded at the end of their 2018 season. ^[23] Boateng re-signed with Galaxy on 14 January 2019. ^[24]

D.C. United

On 7 August 2019, Boateng was traded to D.C. United in exchange for $250,000 of Targeted Allocation Money. ^[25] He made his first appearance for DC United in a game against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on 17 August 2019, subbing in for Leonardo Jara in 67th minute. ^[26] His 2020 option was exercised by D.C. United after the 2019 season. ^[27]

Columbus Crew

On 14 August 2020, Boateng was traded to the Columbus Crew in exchange for Axel Sjöberg, reuniting him with former LA Galaxy teammate Gyasi Zardes. ^[28] He made his debut on 20 August 2020, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win over the Chicago Fire. He won the MLS Cup for being part of the squad even though he didn't play in the final match and was an unused substitute for the match. His team won by a 3–0 win through a Lucas Zelarayán brace and a goal from Derrick Etienne. ^[29] That win was the teams first trophy since 2008. His fellow Ghanaian compatriots Jonathan Mensah and Harrison Afful played the full 90 minutes though. ^{[30] [31]} Columbus declined their contract option on Boateng following their 2020 season. ^[32]

New England Revolution

On 7 January 2021, Boateng signed with New England Revolution as a free agent. ^[33] Following the 2022 season, New England opted to decline his contract option. ^[34] He re-signed with the club to a one-year contract on 24 February 2023, ^[35] and again for an additional year on 2 January 2024. ^[36]

Personal life

His story was featured in The Beautiful Game, a 2012 documentary about football in Africa, and on CNN's report on the Right to Dream Academy. ^{[4] [37]}

It was reported that Boateng received his U.S. citizenship in 2016. ^[38]

Outside of football, Boateng's ambition is to become a doctor. ^[3] He speaks three languages. ^[2]

Career statistics

As of 2 January 2024 ^[39]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Play-offs		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Helsingborgs IF	2013	Allsvenskan	4	0	5	2	—	—	—	—	9	2
	2014		12	0	1	1	—	—	—	—	13	1
	2015		21	4	1	0	—	—	—	—	22	4
	Total		37	4	7	3	—	—	—	—	44	7
LA Galaxy	2016	MLS	26	2	4	0	2	2	2	0	34	4
	2017		34	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	36	4
	2018		27	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	29	2
	2019		21	1	2	0	0	0	1	1	24	2
	Total		108	9	10	0	2	2	3	1	124	12
D.C. United	2019	MLS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2020		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Columbus Crew	2020	MLS	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
New England Revolution	2021	MLS	12	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	13	2
	2022		27	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	31	2
	2023		27	2	2	0	2	0	1	0	32	2
	Total		66	6	4	0	3	0	3	0	76	6
Career total			225	19	21	3	5	2	6	1	258	25

Awards and honors

Columbus Crew

• MLS Cup: 2020 ^[40]

New England Revolution

• Supporters' Shield: 2021 ^[41]

References

1. "Emmanuel Boateng". New England Revolution. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
2. Konecky, Chad (18 May 2012). "Boateng nets National Player of the Year". ESPN . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
3. Eskilson, J.R. (12 July 2012). "From Ghana to Hollywood: Boateng's rise" . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
4. Brugger, Kelsey (21 June 2013). "Meet Soccer Star Ema Boateng". Santa Barbara Independent . Santa Barbara, California . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
5. Nilsson, Tomas (20 July 2013). "Boateng gillar sitt nya gäng". Helsingborgs Dagblad (in Swedish). Helsingborg, Sweden . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
6. "2012 UC Santa Barbara Statistics" . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
7. Curley, Joe (10 May 2013). "Ventura County Fusion have lofty goals despite reshuffled roster". Ventura County Star . Camarillo, California . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
8. "2013 PDL Field Stats". Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
9. "2013 Ventura County Fusion roster and statistics". Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
10. Bird, Liviu (22 August 2013). "Former UCSB standout scores first professional goals in Swedish Cup". NBC Sports . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
11. Ralph, Matt (23 July 2013). "UCSB Star Ema Boateng Signs with Swedish First Division". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
12. "Ema Boateng SvFF player profile" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
13. "Elfsborg cupmästare 2014" (in Swedish). SVFF. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
14. "Boateng till LA Galaxy" (in Swedish). Helsingborgs IF. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
15. "LA Galaxy acquire forward Emmanuel Boateng". LA Galaxy. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
16. Colorado Rapids vs. LA Galaxy 1 - 0 (3/12/16), 12 March 2016
17. Hornish, Mark Edward (25 April 2016). "Emmanuel Boateng's unique path to first MLS goal" . Retrieved 25 April 2016.
18. Rodriguez, Alicia (24 April 2016). "LA Galaxy 5, Real Salt Lake 2 - 2016 MLS Match Recap". Major League Soccer . Retrieved 25 April 2016.
19. Panizo, Franco (26 April 2016). "LA Galaxy newcomer Emmanuel Boateng voted MLS Player of the Week for Week 8". MLS Soccer.
20. "Real Salt Lake Stuns LA Galaxy with Stoppage-Time Equalizer" (Press release). Sandy, Utah: RSL Communications. 7 September 2016.
21. Couch, Ben (27 October 2016). "LA Galaxy 3, Real Salt Lake 1". MLS Soccer.
22. Serber, Marc (27 October 2016). "Emmanuel Boateng's Messi-like goal for LA in playoffs: "He has that in him"". MLS Soccer.
23. "LA Galaxy exercise 2019 contract options on four players". LAGalaxy.com. 26 November 2018.
24. "LA Galaxy re-sign midfielder Emmanuel Boateng | MLSsoccer.com".
25. "D.C. United acquire Emmanuel Boateng from LA Galaxy | D.C. United".
26. Becherano, Lizzy (18 August 2019). "Recap: Frustration reigns as D.C. United fall 1-0 at Vancouver Whitecaps". Black And Red United.
27. "D.C. United have announced that 16 players are under contract for the 2020 MLS season". 22 November 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
28. "Columbus Crew SC acquires midfielder Emmanuel Boateng in trade with D.C. United". columbuscrewsc.com. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
29. "Zelarayan's double helps Columbus Crew secure second MLS Cup". the Guardian. Associated Press. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
30. "Jonathan Mensah leads Columbus Crew to first MLS Cup in 12 years". MyJoyOnline.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
31. "MLS Cup 2020: Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful star as Columbus Crew lift trophy". Citi Sports Online. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
32. "RELEASE | Core of 2020 MLS Cup-winning Columbus Crew SC roster to return in 2021 | Columbus Crew".
33. "New England Revolution sign midfielder Emmanuel Boateng | New England Revolution".
34. "New England Revolution announce year-end roster moves | New England Revolution". revolutionsoccer.net.
35. "Revolution re-sign midfielder Emmanuel Boateng after successful preseason trial | New England Revolution".
36. revolutionsoccer.net. "New England Revolution re-sign midfielder Emmanuel Boateng | New England Revolution". revolutionsoccer.net. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
37. Tutton, Mark (15 April 2010). "African football academy creates future stars". CNN . Retrieved 18 March 2016.
38. "Boateng willing to represent Ghana". www.ghanaweb.com. 25 December 2016.
39. Emmanuel Boateng at Soccerway
40. "Afful, Mensah star as Columbus Crew win 2020 MLS Cup". Graphic Online. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
41. Quillen, Ian Nicholas (7 November 2021). "Recap: New England Revolution 0, Inter Miami CF 1". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 7 November 2021.

External links

• Emmanuel Boateng at Major League Soccer
• Emmanuel Boateng at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish)
• UC Santa Barbara player profile
• Right to Dream Academy player profile