Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew have formally announced the signing of Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Boateng from D.C. United in exchange for defender Axel Sjoberg.
Boateng, 26, 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.”
Bezbatchenko added: “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.
Boateng, a Right to Dream graduate 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.
