Anderson Asiedu

Anderson Asiedu (born 12 June 1996) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Birmingham Legion.

Anderson Asiedu
Personal information
Full name Anderson Kumi Asiedu
Date of birth (1996-06-12) 12 June 1996
Place of birth Dormaa Ahenkro, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Birmingham Legion
Number 6
Youth career
2013–2015 Players Development Academy
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Monmouth Hawks 37 (2)
2017–2018 UCLA Bruins 34 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 New York Red Bulls U-23 20 (0)
2018 FC Golden State Force 3 (0)
2019 Atlanta United 0 (0)
2019 → Atlanta United 2 (loan) 10 (0)
2019– Birmingham Legion 29 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 October 2020

Early life

Asiedu was born in Dormaa Ahenkro, Ghana. Following his mother's death and a short stint living with his grandmother, he lived in an orphanage. At 16, he was discovered by Sylvers Owusu, a native Ghanaian who was in the country looking for players for the soccer team he coached at a high school in New Jersey. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey on a soccer scholarship.[1] He won a state and national championship with St. Benedict's in 2014, as well as the 2013-2014 USSDA U17/18 national championship with Players Development Academy.[2]

College career

Asiedu started his college career at Monmouth, where he started 37 games for the Hawks in two seasons, scoring two goals and adding five assists. As a freshman, he was named to the All-Northeast Region and All-MAAC first teams, as well as the All-MAAC rookie team. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-MAAC second team.[3]

Following his sophomore year, he transferred to UCLA to play for the Bruins. He started 34 games over two seasons, scoring three goals and adding four assists. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team in both seasons and was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team as a senior.[2]

Professional career

Following a successful college career, Asiedu was drafted with the last pick of the first round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by defending MLS Cup champions Atlanta United. On 1 March 2019 he signed with the club ahead of the 2019 Major League Soccer season, and began the season on loan with the club's reserve team, Atlanta United 2.[4] After making 10 appearances for Atlanta United 2, Asiedu was waived by the club on 31 May.[5]

On 15 July 2019, Asiedu signed with USL Championship side Birmingham Legion.[6]

References
  1. Roberson, Doug (12 January 2019). "Asiedu's incredible journey from Ghana to Atlanta United". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. "Anderson Asiedu - Men's Soccer - UCLA". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. "Anderson Asiedu - Men's Soccer - Monmouth University Athletics". Monmouth Hawks. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. "Atlanta United signs SuperDraft Selection Anderson Asiedu". Atlanta United. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. "Julian Gressel, Gordon Wild obtain U.S. Green Cards". Atlanta United. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. USLChampionship com Staff (16 July 2019). "Legion FC Adds Asiedu to Midfield Corps". USL Championship.
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