“Painful” was how Kelvin Yeboah described the 6-2 loss to L.A. Galaxy in the Western Conference semifinal in November, but the Minnesota United forward took a silver lining out of the humbling experience in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
“(Galaxy) end up winning the cup. So if they win (MLS Cup), then you have a bit of, ‘OK, they won the cup. So it’s kind of cool. It’s all right,’ ” Yeboah said Thursday at MLS Media Day in Miami. “But I think Minnesota have a lot of potential, and we can go even further.”
The addition of Yeboah on a Designated Player contract in the summer transfer window helped guide the Loons to its deepest playoff run since 2020, when MNUFC went to the Western Conference final.
The Italian/Ghanaian scored nine goals in 12 MLS games in 2024, including two in the playoff thumping in Carson, Calif. His first semifinal goal was a stunning near-post blast to tie the game at 1 in the sixth minute, and he scored on a PK to make it 3-2 at halftime. The second half was all Galaxy.
Yeboah got off to a hot start with two goals in his MLS debut against Seattle Sounders on Aug. 24 and had five more goals across the next five games before cooling off from his torrid pace at the end of the season. Four of his total goals came from the penalty spot.
Yeboah was clutch once the playoffs started, scoring one penalty kick apiece in the two dramatic shootout wins over Real Salt Lake.
The 24-year-old striker previously played in the German Bundisliga with Augsburg, Italy’s Serie A with Genoa and France’s Ligue 1 with Montpellier — three of the top leagues in the world. So, the national media members gathered in Florida didn’t waste any time in having Yeboah try to compare MLS to the European divisions. It was the first question asked to Yeboah.
Like foreign MNUFC players before him, Yeboah tried to walk the tightrope.
“It is a tough league,” he said of MLS. “It’s not maybe, let’s say, as everybody in the Europe expects it be. The league is very competitive, very physical, very fast. I mean, compared to many leagues, I think definitely MLS is very competitive. I think MLS is right there, if not above. … I think this year is going be more and more (competitive) as new players come in, new teams join.”
Yeboah, who has also played in the Austrian Bundesliga and Belgium Pro League, has not scored double digit goals in a season since he was with Austrian side Sturm Graz in 2021-22.
Yeboah, who’s contract with MNUFC is through the 2027 season, will begin his first preseason camp with the Loons on Monday. He is looking to be a better leader and forge deeper connection with teammates.
Yeboah said he enjoyed playing under head coach Eric Ramsay.
“First of all, he’s a great person, very nice person,” Yeboah said of Ramsay. “He’s a good coach. He helped me a lot well since I came into the league, he made made me feel comfortable. He understood my style of play and fitted it very well with the whole team. I think it shows that in our performance in the last season.”
Briefly
MNUFC said Thursday defensive midfielder Wil Trapp has signed a one-year contract for the 2025 season, with a club option for 2026. The Loons negotiated a lower salary figure for Trapp after the 2023 season for 2024 and likely did so again for this upcoming season. United is still looking for a defensive midfielder in the transfer market.
Leave a Reply