COLUMBUS — Columbus Crew SC today announced that the club has acquired Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Boateng (pronounced:BOA-tang) via a trade with D.C. United in exchange for defender Axel Sjoberg. Boateng, 26, is an eight-year veteran who has spent the last five years in Major League Soccer, making 111 regular-season appearances (65 starts) with the LA Galaxy and D.C. United.
“Emmanuel is a veteran, dynamic player who brings eight years of professional experience to our Club, and we are excited to welcome him to Columbus,” said Crew SC President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “We believe Emmanuel’s speed on the flank and his familiarity with MLS makes him a valuable addition to our roster. We also want to thank Axel for his time with Crew SC, and we wish him the best in the next chapter of his career.”
Added Bezbatchenko: “Today we made a pair of trades, adding Emmanuel Boateng from D.C. United as well as acquiring defender Grant Lillard from Inter Miami FC. I want to thank our TD Pat Onstad and scouting and player personnel groups for working hard to complete these transactions coming off our time in Orlando. As Caleb and his staff prepare for the continuation of our MLS regular season next week, we look forward to integrating both Emmanuel and Grant into our Club. We aim to remain hungry and humble as we build off of the team’s performance to date.”
Boateng joined D.C. United on August 7 of 2019. Prior to his time in D.C., the midfielder was with the LA Galaxy from 2016-2019, where he made 108 regular-season appearances (65 starts), scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists. Before joining MLS, Boateng spent three seasons with Helsingborgs IF of the Allsvenskan – Sweden’s top-flight – from 2013-2015. During his time in Sweden, the midfielder made 37 appearances, scoring four goals.
A graduate of Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy, Boateng played collegiate soccer at the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2012 season. In his lone season at UC Santa Barba, Boateng made 18 appearances, scoring four goals and providing two assists en route to receiving the Big West Freshman of the Year award while also being named to the First-Team All-Big West.
The Black & Gold are set to resume the 2020 MLS regular season at MAPFRE Stadium as part of Phase One of the continuation of play schedule against the Chicago Fire on Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. [FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports GO (Stream) / 97.1 The Fan & 971TheFan.com (English), ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish)].
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew SC acquires midfielder Emmanuel Boateng (pronounced:BOA-tang) via a trade with D.C. United in exchange for defender Axel Sjoberg on August 14, 2020.
Name: Emmanuel Boateng (BOA-tang)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 150
Born: January 17, 1994 in Accra, Ghana
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Citizenship: Ghana
Acquired: Acquired by Crew SC via a trade with D.C. United on August 14, 2020
Previous Experience: D.C. United (2019-2020), LA Galaxy (2016-2019), Helsingborgs IF (2013-2015)
