Gershon Koffie
Encyclopedia
Gershon Koffie is a Ghana
ian footballer who currently plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer
.
, and began his soccer career when he joined Rot-Weiss Accra - a development club affiliated with German club Rot-Weiss Essen
- as a nine-year-old in 2000. He spent five years with Rot-Weiss Accra, before signing his first professional contract in 2006 with Ghanaian Division Two League team International Allies
at the age of 15.
, scoring 28 goals in all competitions, before leaving the club in 2009 to try to secure a spot with a professional team in Europe. The Swedish side Hammarby IF
was at a scouting trip in Ghana when Koffie broke his leg. Hammarby helped him with the operation and the rehabilitation in Sweden. Later on he trained with the Danish club Randers
, but was not offered a contract.
Having been spotted by Vancouver's director of soccer operations Tom Soehn
at a tournament in Ghana six months previously, Koffie relocated to Canada in 2010, and subsequently signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USSF Division 2 Professional League
. He made his Whitecaps debut on September 5, 2010 in a 0-0 tie with the Puerto Rico Islanders
. On February 9, 2011 he signed a new contract for the 2011 Major League Soccer season
with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian footballer who currently plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.
Youth
Koffie grew up in the Ghanaian capital AccraAccra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, and began his soccer career when he joined Rot-Weiss Accra - a development club affiliated with German club Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.- Early years :The club was formed as SV Vogelheim on 1 February 1907 out of the merger of two smaller clubs: SC Preussen and Deutsche Eiche. In 1910, Vogelheim came to an arrangement with Turnerbund...
- as a nine-year-old in 2000. He spent five years with Rot-Weiss Accra, before signing his first professional contract in 2006 with Ghanaian Division Two League team International Allies
International Allies F.C.
International Allies FC is football club from Ghana based in Ho.-History:The club was founded in October 1996 by Mr. Omar Nasser El-Eter, Mr. Rabeh Nasser El-Eter and the late Mr...
at the age of 15.
Professional
Koffie played four full seasons with International AlliesInternational Allies F.C.
International Allies FC is football club from Ghana based in Ho.-History:The club was founded in October 1996 by Mr. Omar Nasser El-Eter, Mr. Rabeh Nasser El-Eter and the late Mr...
, scoring 28 goals in all competitions, before leaving the club in 2009 to try to secure a spot with a professional team in Europe. The Swedish side Hammarby IF
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...
was at a scouting trip in Ghana when Koffie broke his leg. Hammarby helped him with the operation and the rehabilitation in Sweden. Later on he trained with the Danish club Randers
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...
, but was not offered a contract.
Having been spotted by Vancouver's director of soccer operations Tom Soehn
Tom Soehn
Tom Soehn is an American former soccer player and manager, who is currently the Director of Soccer Operations for the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
at a tournament in Ghana six months previously, Koffie relocated to Canada in 2010, and subsequently signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
. He made his Whitecaps debut on September 5, 2010 in a 0-0 tie with the Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
. On February 9, 2011 he signed a new contract for the 2011 Major League Soccer season
2011 Major League Soccer season
The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 33rd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 16th season of Major League Soccer. The season marked the arrival of two new league clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver...
with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.