Manu Duah

Manu Duah

Duah playing for San Diego FC in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth	(2005-06-05) 5 June 2005 (age 20)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [1]
Position(s)	Midfielder center-back
Team information
Current team	San Diego FC
Number	26
Youth career
0000–2024	Santa Barbara SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2024	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	14	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2025–	San Diego FC	14	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:09, 22 October 2025 (UTC)

Manu Duah (born 5 June 2005) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and center-back for Major League Soccer club San Diego FC. A Generation Adidas player, he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

College career

Duah played for one season as a freshman for UC Santa Barbara, appearing in 14 games for the Gauchos.

Starting in all 14 of his appearances, Duah helped the Gauchos to a 12–5–5 record in the 2024 season.^{[ attribution needed ]} Duah's collegiate career ended at the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament where the Gauchos beat UCLA 1–0 in the first round in overtime before falling to Stanford in round 2 in penalties. ^[2]

Club career

Duah was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by San Diego FC (SDFC). With the selection, Duah became the first-ever draft pick for San Diego FC, an expansion club. ^{[3] [4]} SDFC coach Mikey Varas has said that he believes Duah has potential to "dominate" the league. ^[5]

On 25 June 2025, Duah made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut in San Diego FC's 5–3 away win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC. ^[6] On 19 July 2025, he made his first home start in a 1–1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Despite scoring an own goal, he was selected as the player of the match. ^{[7] [8]}

On 3 February 2026, in round one of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup against Pumas UNAM, Duah scored San Diego FC's first goal in a 4–1 comeback victory, his first professional goal. ^[9]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 February 2026 ^[10]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental [a]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
San Diego FC	2025	Major League Soccer	14	0	—		—		8 [b]	0	22	0
	2026	Major League Soccer	0	0	—		1	1	0	0	1	1
Career total			14	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	23	1

1. Includes CONCACAF Champions Cup
2. Five appearances in MLS Cup playoffs, three appearances in Leagues Cup

References

1. "Manu Duah | San Diego FC". sandiegofc.com. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
2. "UC Santa Barbara's 2024 Campaign Concludes at Stanford in NCAA Tournament Second Round Match". bigwest.org. 24 November 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
3. "San Diego FC takes Manu Duah first overall in 2025 MLS SuperDraft". ESPN.com. 21 December 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
4. "San Diego FC select UCSB midfielder Manu Duah with the No. 1 overall pick in MLS SuperDraft, St. Louis University's Max Floriani and Wisconsin's Dean Boltz go No. 2 and 3 respectively | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
5. "Expansion San Diego FC make Manu Duah No. 1 pick in MLS draft". Reuters. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
6. "Duah Makes MLS Debut in Big Win". University of California, Santa Barbara. 2025-07-07. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
7. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. San Diego FC Match Report – Wednesday June 25, 2025". FBRef. 25 June 2025. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
8. "San Diego FC stay top of the West after 1-1 deadlock with Whitecaps". The Sporting Tribune. 2025-07-20. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
9. Kensing, Kyle (3 February 2026). "In another franchise first, SDFC beats Pumas in Concacaf Champions Cup opener". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved 4 February 2026.
10. "Manu Duah Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 February 2026.

External links

• Manu Duah at WorldFootball.net
• Manu Duah at FBref.com
• Manu Duah at Major League Soccer