Patrick Nyarko
Encyclopedia
Patrick Nyarko is a Ghana
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 Chicago Fire 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...

.

College

After coming to the United States in 2005, Nyarko was a star forward and three-time All-ACC selection for the Virginia Tech Hokies soccer
Virginia Tech Hokies soccer
There are two Virginia Tech Hokies soccer teams:*Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer*Virginia Tech Hokies women's soccer...

 team, which played in the 2007 Division I Men's College Cup
2007 Division I Men's College Cup
The 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup for the final four teams was held at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. All other games were played at the home field of the...

, falling to Wake Forest
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention...

 in the final four.

Nyarko, who finished his Virginia Tech career with 31 goals, was called by coach Oliver Weiss
Oliver Weiss
Oliver Weiss is a German-born, U.S.-based soccer coach, working primarily at the NCAA level. He was the head men's soccer coach at Virginia Tech from 2002 through 2009. Virginia Tech has been very successful under Weiss going 68-39-16 in six seasons...

, "the most incredible player I've ever coached" and he is considered to be the best soccer player in Virginia Tech history. Nyarko first met Weiss when the coach was on a recruiting trip to Ghana
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...

.

In Nyarko's freshman year, he scored the lone goal of his team's marquee win over then-#4 North Carolina. Tech rose as high as #10 in the polls and earned its second trip in school history to the NCAA tournament. Nyarko was named the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 freshman of the year and was named to the all-ACC team.

Following the 2007 season, in which the Hokies finished #8 in the final AP poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

 and played in the final four of the 2007 Division I Men's College Cup
2007 Division I Men's College Cup
The 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup for the final four teams was held at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. All other games were played at the home field of the...

, Nyarko was named as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...

.

Professional

Nyarko decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2008 MLS SuperDraft
2008 MLS SuperDraft
The 2008 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 18, 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the ninth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was made by the Kansas City Wizards, after acquiring the selection from the expansion San Jose Earthquakes...

. Widely predicted to be the first pick in the draft, Nyarko was selected 7th overall by the Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire (soccer)
Chicago Fire Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top soccer league in the United States and Canada...

.

He made his MLS debut on June 15, 2008 against FC Dallas
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...

, and scored his first MLS goal on August 2, 2008 against Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada....

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK