Kekuta Manneh facts for kids
Manneh in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 December 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Bakau, The Gambia | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Texas Rush | ||
| 2011–2012 | Lonestar SC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Steve Biko | 12 | (17) |
| 2012 | Austin Aztex | 12 | (10) |
| 2013–2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 101 | (22) |
| 2017 | Columbus Crew | 19 | (4) |
| 2018 | Pachuca | 1 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | St. Gallen | 7 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | FC Cincinnati | 29 | (4) |
| 2020 | New England Revolution | 6 | (1) |
| 2021 | Austin FC | 16 | (0) |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2023 | Pacific FC | 19 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023 | |||
Kekuta Manneh (born 30 December 1994) is a professional soccer player. He plays as a winger, which is a player who plays on the sides of the field. In 2016, he became an American citizen. He has been asked to join the United States national team, but he has not played in a game for them yet.
Contents
Kekuta Manneh's Soccer Journey
Starting in Youth Leagues
Kekuta Manneh started playing soccer in youth academies in The Gambia, his home country. He then moved to the top league in Gambia. In 2010, he moved to the United States.
In the U.S., he played for youth clubs like Georgia Rush and Texas Rush. He later joined Lonestar Soccer Club in Texas. These clubs are part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. In 2010, Manneh scored an amazing 35 goals in just 23 games for the Rush team.
Because of his great performance, he was named to the 2010 Disney's Soccer Showcase All-Star Team. He even got to train for a week with the famous Chelsea F.C. academy in England. For Lonestar SC, he scored 21 goals in 16 games. In 2011, a scout from Arsenal watched him play.
After his successful time with Lonestar Soccer Club, Manneh joined the Austin Aztex team. This team played in the Premier Development League, a league for young players. He scored 10 goals in 12 games for them. In one game, he scored 4 goals!
Becoming a Professional Player
Before coming to the United States in 2010, Manneh played for Steve Biko Football Club in Gambia. This was the highest level of soccer in his home country. He helped his team finish second in the league in 2009 by scoring 17 goals in 12 games.
Even though he had successful tryouts with top clubs in Gambia, Manneh chose to move to the U.S. to join the Texas youth academies. In 2012, there were reports that Manneh was trying out for the Major League Soccer champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, he did not sign a contract with them. He also trained with the Colorado Rapids and other clubs in England and Germany.
In January 2013, Manneh signed a special contract with Major League Soccer called a Generation Adidas contract. This allowed him to enter the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. A week later, Vancouver Whitecaps FC chose him as the fourth overall pick. Vancouver even traded with Toronto FC to get an earlier pick just to draft Manneh.
Manneh quickly showed his skills. He scored two goals for the Whitecaps in a preseason game. On March 3, 2013, he played his first league game for the Whitecaps.
His first professional goal came on April 27, 2013, in a game against FC Dallas. He came into the game as a substitute and scored a goal. Just three minutes later, he made a great run past three defenders to help his teammate score. His goal and assist earned him the "man of the match" award.
On October 9, 2013, Manneh scored his first professional hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Seattle Sounders FC. He was only 18 years and 283 days old, making him the youngest player to score an MLS hat-trick!
After his amazing performances in October 2013, big English Premier League clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool were reportedly interested in signing him.
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On March 30, 2017, Manneh was traded to Columbus Crew SC. His contract ended at the end of that season. He decided to try playing overseas and went on trial with Union Berlin in Germany.
On December 26, 2017, Manneh joined the Mexican team Pachuca. However, he only played one league game for them, for just eight minutes.
Manneh then moved to the Swiss Super League club FC St. Gallen in June 2018.
On February 13, 2019, Manneh returned to the United States. He joined FC Cincinnati for their first season in MLS. He scored his first goal for Cincinnati on March 24, 2019.
On August 17, 2020, Manneh was traded to New England Revolution. He scored his first goal for New England on October 14, 2020.
Manneh returned to Austin, Texas, on January 22, 2021. He signed with Austin FC for their first MLS season. After the 2021 season, Austin FC decided not to renew his contract.
On February 7, 2022, Manneh signed with USL Championship club San Antonio FC.
On April 3, 2023, Manneh joined Canadian Premier League team Pacific FC for their 2023 season. He left the team after one season.
Playing for His Country
Because of his strong play with Steve Biko FC, Kekuta Manneh was called up to play for Gambia's Under-20 national team in 2011. He was also asked to join the Gambia Under-20 squad in March 2014, but he couldn't play due to an injury.
Manneh has said he wants to play for the United States national team. He became a U.S. citizen in September 2016. He was called up to the United States squad in January 2017 and again in March 2018 for a friendly game. However, he has not yet played in a game for the U.S. team.
About Kekuta Manneh
Manneh became a U.S. citizen in 2016. While playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which is based in Canada, he lived in Point Roberts, Washington. This helped him meet the requirements to become a U.S. citizen.
Kekuta Manneh is Muslim and observes Ramadan, a special month of fasting.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Austin Aztex | 2012 | PDL | 12 | 10 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 14 | 13 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2013 | Major League Soccer | 20 | 6 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2014 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 31 | 5 | |||
| 2015 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 7 | ||
| 2016 | 17 | 5 | – | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 | |||
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 101 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 117 | 24 | ||
| Columbus Crew SC | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 19 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 | 4 | |
| Pachuca | 2017–18 | Liga MX | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| St. Gallen | 2018–19 | Swiss Super League | 7 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| FC Cincinnati | 2019 | Major League Soccer | 27 | 4 | – | – | – | 27 | 4 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | ||
| New England Revolution | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | 6 | 1 | |||
| Austin FC | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 | |||
| San Antonio FC | 2022 | USL Championship | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Pacific FC | 2023 | Canadian Premier League | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 2 | |
| Career total | 210 | 43 | 12 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 245 | 49 | ||
Awards and Achievements
- PDL Southern Conference All-Conference Team: 2012
- Canadian Championship: 2015
See also
In Spanish: Kekuta Manneh para niños
