Asante leads Rising FC into playoffs
Ghana native heart and soul of Phoenix team
When the 2021 USL Championship season is over for Phoenix Rising FC, whether it is this weekend, close to the end of the month or somewhere in between, Solomon Asante will be on a plane bound for his homeland as soon as possible.
It’s not because he doesn’t care much for Phoenix and wants to get out as fast and for as long as he can. In fact it’s the opposite; Asante says the Valley heat reminds him sometimes of West Africa and he has a comfortable daily routine here, with a solid support system.
“I feel like I’m home, I feel like I’m with a family and nothing is changing, everything is the same,” said Asante, who for almost all of his four seasons has been team captain and can forever say he took over the captaincy from an international legend, Didier Drogba.
“People around me, the coaches, the players, the fans, they make it very easy for me to like it here.”
But he must leave behind his American family to get back to being a father and husband in his native Ghana for the only two months he can do so in person out of a year before it’s time to get back to work as a pro soccer player.
So it shall be for the fourth offseason in a row for Asante, the 31-year-old captain and heart of Rising FC, a talent who flies somewhat under the radar internationally in second-division North American soccer but is revered by Rising FC fans and teammates because of his ability to create, score, change games and lead a team.
Asante is a two-time USL Championship Most Valuable Player and is Rising FC’s all-time leading scorer. He spends a few hours on WhatsApp speaking with his wife and children every day after practice in Arizona, bearing in mind the seven-hour time difference between here and Ghana.
It means plenty of late nights of family time, then up early in the morning to go to work. Just part of Asante’s routine, one that is rarely broken while he is in the U.S. And after some time to move past the hardship of being away from family, Asante has found the strength to be able to deal with it.
“Back home it’s kind of different because you have a lot of friends, a lot of responsibilities, a lot of things to do, a lot of projects,” Asante said. “I’m kind of used to it. Sometimes Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays you are tired, and you have to sleep. But I have kids. So you understand that every day they have to talk to you. They want to call even if you are sleeping. Family is very important, especially the kids. It’s not easy but I try to make it possible.”
There have been offers to return to Africa to play. Asante has turned all of them down, hoping to win the elusive USL title that Rising FC has been so close to in his four seasons with the club. With his contract expiring at the end of this month,
Asante has a decision to make.
The team reached the final last year, only to have the opportunity to play for the championship ripped away due to a COVID outbreak among the opposing team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
“You need to look at where you enjoy yourself, where you are doing well, where you feel like home and then where you feel like there is a family behind you,” Asante said. “After that, the money aspect. Yes I’ve gotten some offers, but definitely when you are doing well and you are playing well and been the MVP twice, Golden Boot (award winner), definitely some clubs chasing me. But I think now is not the time to move. I’m still trying to get the USL Cup for the team first.”
A soccer family
Before games, Asante embraces teammates warmly, or reaches up to put an arm around someone. At practice, teammates gravitate toward him.
Midfielder Jon Bakero is one of the teammates Asante has helped to guide. He said Asante is fond of showing his teammates photos of his children, and that Asante calls his teammates his brothers.
Like Asante, Bakero’s family is far away, in Spain. So the time spent together as a team, especially for players from other countries who are largely on their own in Phoenix, is valuable.
“The joy he brings to the game, the joy he brings to the locker room is a huge part of the success of this club, and his passion and love for the game and his teammates is obviously huge. I’m very thankful that I’ve had a person like that around to learn from and to help me grow as a person as well,” Bakero said. “He brings that family mentality to the locker room.”
Asante is also a shower singer, though no one seems to know exactly what song he is belting out. It makes teammates laugh, as does his unique handshake
with midfielder Kevon Lambert.
“I think it’s American music, it’s just his own version,” Bakero said. He feels there is so much one can learn from being around the wise Asante.
“His points of views and his perspectives are so unique,” Bakero said.
Rising FC general manager Bobby Dulle said that when Asante speaks, everyone listens. But his humor and ability bring levity when needed is also appreciated.
“Players want to play with top players. He’s attracted top players to this team, as well,” Dulle said. “He’s very inspirational. He’s small in stature but he’s got a huge heart, huge personality, and is just so talented. Kids see that and they look up to him and say ‘I don’t have to be the biggest or the fastest or the strongest.’”
Being a captain feels good, Asante said. From visits with Drogba, who helped set Rising FC’s standard of success during his time in Arizona, Asante learned to stay humble.
“A lot of pressure, a lot of responsibilities trying to bring the players together when things are not going well is kind of a difficult task,” he said. “I now have that experience, so everything is good.”
I can’t express how valuable Solo is
A former Rising FC head coach helped convince Asante to move halfway around the world.
Patrice Carteron has coached in Africa, including at TP Mazembe, where Asante was one of his players. Asante was out of contract there, and Carteron wanted some players he was familiar with.
But only a few months after the 2018 season started, Carteron accepted an offer to coach a top African club in Egypt. Rick Schantz took over, and he and Asante have connected to the point where Asante is an extension of the coach on the field.
“I can’t express how valuable ‘Solo’ is. You watch him on the field and whether he scores a goal or an assist, and I know there’s been talk recently about whether he’s scoring or assisting, he still leads the league in key passes,” Schantz said. “What he does is unbelievable.”
Schantz said Asante gathered the team together in the locker room after Rising FC drew 1-1 with Sacramento Republic on Oct. 23. Asante told everyone that the result started with him for not playing well in the first half and didn’t perform to the level he’s capable of, but that the entire team has to play better,
“When you know that your captain is saying exactly what you want to say to the team, I don’t even go in there after that,” Schantz said. “When I heard about that, I was like ‘OK, the job is done. We have to move on to the next game.’”
Someday, Schantz said, he’ll tell everyone how many times he’s been about to say what he is thinking, and Asante will come into his office with a plan for the next game. And it is exactly what Schantz has written down.
“To know that I have someone that I trust and believe in so much on the field, that trusts and believes in me, it makes the job that much easier,” Schantz said. “The players respect him so much and everybody cares about him. Half of the guys want to win trophies as much for ‘Solo’ as they do themselves.”
Dulle said he doesn’t know if the league has ever seen a player like Asante.
“A leader for us on and off the field,” Dulle said. “He’s meant so much to our organization. He’s been one of the best players in the history of this league. He knows what it takes to win. He’s played in some big matches throughout his career, both here and prior to his time here at Rising. He’s someone that the players look to when times are tough and in moments like what’s coming up here in the playoffs. He’s someone the team leans on.”