San Diego FC selects UC Santa Barbara midfielder Manu Duah with the first overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft

San Diego FC’s roster build continues with selecting UC Santa Barbra midfielder Manu Duah first overall in the MLS SuperDraft. As an expansion team who will become the 30th team in the league, San Diego was awarded the first overall pick in the draft using it to bolster their growing midfield with the Generation Adidas product. 

Duah will join Alex Mighten, Anibal Godoy and Jeppe Tverskov as the midfielders currently under contract for Mikey Varas’ team, but with the offseason underway and more picks to come in the draft, that will continue to grow before San Diego takes the pitch for the first time facing the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, Feb. 23.

“First and foremost Manu fits the profile of the club,” Varas said. “He’s a high talent young player with amazing character and value. He’s a mix between a ball ball-playing midfielder and a number six who is able to help us implement our style of play in terms of taking initiative with the ball but he’s also got a tremendous growth mindset and a winning mentality.”

Last season Duah started 14 matches, also netting his first college assist. A Ghana native, he joins Christian Ramirez, Michael Boxtall and Emmanuel Boateng as UCSB players currently in Major League soccer. Also spending time in MLS Next for Santa Barbara Soccer Club, Duah helped them reach the MLS Next Cup playoffs in the U19 age group. Modeling his game after Sergio Busquets, Duah wants to help his teams control the tempo of the match and he could have a chance to face his idol depending on how the schedule shakes out in cup competitions or the playoffs.

It will be a step up for the 19-year-old coming to Major Leauge Soccer but this is where San Diego’s youth focused approach comes in. As part of the Right to Dream network, San Diego FC is all about helping young players who have the tools to succeed reach their potential and that’s where Duah is in a great place to thrive.

Varas notes that it is a step up from college to performing at the pro ranks but that he won’t, “limit anyone’s story.” San Diego’s philosophy is to look to win with young players and by giving them support and that’s just what will happen with Duah.

San Diego also have raised their spending power making a trade with Charlotte FC to send the ninth overall pick in the draft away for the 17th overall pick and $100 thousand in General Allocation Money. That 17th overall pick became yet another trade to move down in the draft. San Diego collected another $75 thousand in GAM and the 24th overall pick by swapping with New York City FC.

GAM has many uses such as buying down a player’s cap charge including buying a designated player below a certain threshold to open the slot for a new one. It can be used to buy down a transfer fee, sign homegrown players or be traded to other clubs. With San Diego’s needs in multiple areas of the pitch, these trades will be important moving forward. 

First round picks