Boateng hits his spot with Revolution
Ghana native has carved productive spot on wing
FOXBOROUGH — Emmanuel Boateng could not be sure what he was getting into when he arrived in the United States from Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy in 2009. He and traveling companion, Isaac Normesinu, had hoped to play together, but they split up after landing in New York, Boateng heading to the Cate School in California, Normesinu to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, then Boston College.
“Honestly, living in Africa, I didn’t know anything about the weather here or in California,” Boateng said. “But, ultimately, it was the best thing for me, going to high school there. We could play year-round, whereas the guys were limited here by the seasons.”
Boateng continued on to the University of California-Santa Barbara, turned pro in 2013, and is in his third season performing on the left wing for the Revolution. Boateng, 29, has played a key role for the Revolution (9-3-6, 33 points) going into Saturday’s home game against Toronto FC. Last week, he converted his second goal of the year, opening the scoring as the Revolution took a 3-1 victory over Orlando City.
The sequence involved Revolution designated players Gustavo Bou and Carles Gil, Bou’s cross punched out directly to Boateng on the edge of the penalty area. Boateng read the rebound and found himself in perfect position for a one-timer.
Boateng has demonstrated finishing ability, but his primary responsibility is providing crosses from the left wing.
“I wasn’t really thinking about individual stats, which it looks like our game is headed for, it’s all about goals and assists,” Boateng said. “But if you look at my résumé, you have to watch our team to see how much I contribute. And I’ve been on teams that have won trophies — MLS Cup [Columbus in 2020] — and we set a record with the Supporters’ Shield [Revolution in 2021].”
Boateng has played for five teams, under MLS’s winningest coaches (Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid), two MLS Cup-winning coaches (Dominic Kinnear, Caleb Porter), plus Swiss legend Henrik Larsson. He also teamed with high-profile stars with the Galaxy — from Steven Gerrard to Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane, plus Landon Donovan, Giovani Dos Santos, Jermaine Jones — and now the Revolution’s Gil.
“I’ve learned a lot from them, every coach taught me something different,” Boateng said. “We had a lot of top players in LA. I was a Liverpool fan, and Steven Gerrard was [in LA] the first day, he introduced himself to me, and I’m like, ‘Serious, I know who you are.’ ”
Boateng’s soccer journey began with Right to Dream tryouts in the Kumasi area.
“It was very competitive,” Boateng said. “They go all around Ghana, 20 different camps in different cities. They look at 2,000-4,000 players and select 300 for a tryout. Then you go for three weeks and they weed it down to 16.
“Once you’re there, you have to keep working and performing, either for a pro contract or high school scholarship. The margin is very thin. Some guys didn’t get picked up and we were like, ‘Wow, that guy’s going home?’
“They test you on everything. It wasn’t just who is the best — who wants to be better?”
Boateng boarded at the Cate School in Carpinteria, Calif., and connected with Mark and Linda Schwartz’s host family, teaming with their son, Avery, who went on to play as a forward at Yale.
Boateng played a year at UCSB, then joined Helsingborgs IF in Sweden. Arena brought Boateng to the Galaxy in 2016, then to the Revolution in 2021.
“He’s a wide player, which is kind of a lost art in modern-day football,” Arena said. “And he’s got pace. He’s played a pretty significant role in shot creation in terms of crosses and movement.
“We’ve thought in the past his role needed to be limited to 30 minutes, but he came into preseason fit and he’s been able to play significant minutes.”
After last season, Arena encouraged Boateng to pursue free agency, but offers were slim. So Boateng remained, on a salary reduced to $95,000, but with bonuses that could allow him match last year’s $225,000 total, according to Arena.
“I wanted to stay here,” Boateng said. “They encouraged me [to go to] free agency and see what was out there, look at my options. I thought it was better to come back to New England than start new somewhere else.
“Financially and playing-wise it was better in New England. I want to prove doubters wrong and prove to my teammates and the organization they made the right decision.”
Boateng feels at home with the Revolution, weather included.
“I love it, actually,” Boateng said. “In the cold, I can run around for days and days. I wear shorts in February. The cold doesn’t bother me at all.”