Indiana University Athletics
Sarkodie Set to Join Hoosiers in January
12/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 12, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head men's soccer coach Mike Freitag announced the addition of United States Under-17 National Team captain Ofori Sarkodie to the Hoosiers 2006 recruiting class. Sarkodie, a mainstay as a center back in the Under-17 Residency Program over the last two years, will enroll at Indiana in January and be eligible to begin practice in the spring. Sarkodie is the second Under-17 National Team player set to enroll in January, joining teammate Kevin Alston, who signed his national letter-of-intent in August.
"We are excited that Ofori Sarkodie is joining the Indiana program," Freitag said. "He is first and foremost an outstanding person and at the same time is a very talented soccer player who possess unbelievable leadership qualities. I have never met a young man like him before. He is the type of individual when he talks, I get goose bumps. He is a very mature young man that will help Indiana soccer in years to come."
Sarkodie has drawn interest from professional clubs abroad and from Major League Soccer in the United States, but will pass up those options to become a part of the Hoosier tradition. In fact, he spent some time training with the Columbus Crew following the MLS season.
The 5-9, 170-pound back is one of five players nominated for the 2005 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year Award for Young Males. He started all 37 matches with the Under-17 National Team in 2005, including all 15 of his international appearances. He was the rock and leader of a U.S. defense that despite numerous injuries and an ever-changing supporting cast with Sarkodie, compiled a goals against average of 1.33 in international affairs.
The Huber Heights, Ohio native started and played every minute at the center back position at the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Youth Championship in Peru during September. He captained the team to a fifth-place finish, which included the U.S. winning its group with a 2-0-1 record and advancing to the quarterfinals. Sarkodie not only did the job on the defensive end, but scored the opening goal in a 3-1 upset of Italy on Sept. 20. He was later named all-tournament team as one of the top XI player at FIFA Under-17 World Championship.
After joining the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in September of 2003, Sarkodie has started an astonishing 88 of his 93 games with the Under-18 National Team, including all 36 international matches. He has earned 36 caps with the U.S. Under-17 National Team and scored four international goals. He has six goals and eight assists during his seasons with the Under-17 National Team.
The U.S. Soccer website (ussoccer.com) describes Sarkodie as "a commanding central defender who is intelligent and confident. He is able to make the tough tackle and also get into the attack."
In 2004, Sarkodie played in 43 matches while making 41 starts. He showed offensive abilities to compliment his defensive prowess. He had four goals and three assists in 2004. Three of his goals and one of his assist came in his 19 international appearances, all as a starter.
He scored the United States' only goal in a 1-1 draw against Austria on May 1 to propel U.S. into the championship match of the Ballymena International Tournament. He also scored the opening goal against Canada in a 3-2 victory on July 17 in Blaine, Minn., and headed home a goal in the Under-17's 2-0 victory over Australia on Dec. 3 during the Nike Friendlies.
Sarkodie earned a cap for the United States Under-20 National Team in 2004. He started and played all 90 minutes in a 2-1 victory over Mexico on Nov. 21 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
He played club soccer for the Chicago Magic and helped the Magic to the 2004 national championship. He played one year at Carroll High School in Huber Heights, Ohio before joining the residency program. He also was a PARADE Magazine All-American and the magazine's top defender in 2005.
He was born Kwame Ofori-Attah Sarkodie on June 18, 1988 to Amaning and Olivia Sarkodie. His parents are from Kumasi, Ghana. Ofori has two brothers (Kwame and Kofi) and a sister (Mimi). Ofori's older brother Kwame was a starter in the midfield at the University of Cincinnati in 2005 and will be a senior during the 2006 season.
