Interesting. I always think of Norway having big, burly centerbacks. I wonder if they'll give Ofori a shot to show a little guy can play they there or if he'll be moved to fullback or d-mid. He has the foot skills to play in MF and the pace to play wide so I think he can make the switch. But he's such a smart player he just might pull off playing centrally despite his size. Best of luck to him.
This would be a pretty big miss for MLS, in my opinion. I wonder how much they offered him to go GenAd, or if Sarkodie just thinks Scandanavia is better starting point or, like Davies, didn't like the possibilities of where he might end up? I'd hope MLS isn't finished negotiating.
Looks like Sarkodie checked things out, but decided not to go (or didn't get an acceptable offer). From late last month: Junior defender Ofori Sarkodie has returned to the roster after taking a brief hiatus last season to play European ball. ... Sarkodie decided to take the trip after realizing he was ahead in his course work and could afford to take a semester off. While in Europe, he practiced with teams in Norway, Holland and Portugal. ... Sarkodie said he would like to continue playing soccer at a national level, but his options are somewhat limited. He remains optimistic, however. “The only (national team) I’m eligible for is the U-23 team, which is the Olympic team,” Sarkodie said. “It’s a pretty large pool to pick from, but you never know.” Link: http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=61423&comview=1
Sarkodie was drafted in the 4th round of the MLS Superdraft by the Kansas City Wizards, but never made the team and was waived in February. Not sure what he's doing now.
Kansas City isn't exactly loaded with top notch defenders... I hope he did well academically at Indiana.
It was odd how quickly Sarkodie was sent packing by KC. Did he even have a chance to show up to pre-season training? I do wonder if something else was going on -- not that Sarkodie is so talented that he's a shoo-in on any MLS roster, but still. It was fast.
As someone who knows the family. I can tell you at least this much. All of the brothers including Ofori are very smart and a lot about staying that last year in college was to get his degree. He was on trial in Norway. I don't want to disrespect the privacy of Ofori and the family but I can tell you that he will be playing soccer somewhere. The Sarkodie family are great people. And I enjoyed playing with Kofi who is now at Akron. If anything new comes up with his situation I will share it.