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SBI MLS Rookie of the Week: Kekuta Manneh

KekutaManneh (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

While Camilo stole the headlines for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night, one of his teammates had quite the performance of his own.

Kekuta Manneh scored once and created the opportunity for Camilo’s second of the match with a delicious through ball, as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the Chicago Fire, 2-1, at BC Place. Manneh’s efforts earned him SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.

The 18-year-old Manneh beat out the LA Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes, Real Salt Lake defender Carlos Salcedo, and Philadelphia Union midfielder Leo Fernandes for this week’s honors.

What did you think of Manneh’s performance? Which rookie stood out the most for you in MLS Week 20?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. As much (or more) upside of any young player in the league.

    MLS website has an excellent profile on him; there, Rennie makes an excellent point – he has had very little high-level training.; if he were to have grown up in Europe he would have gone straight into an elite academy at an early age and he wouldn’t be playing catchup.

    Hope he choses to play for the US.

    Reply
    • Manneh needs to get his citizenship first before he can play for the US. I don’t know how that’s complicated by living in Canada.

      Reply
  2. I saw the highlights of his goal. It was pretty lucky (through the legs of the defender closest to him, which screed the goalie). All he really did was hit it hard. That said, before the shot, he did show some skill to keep the ball and make it difficult for the defender to take it away.

    Reply
    • What makes you think that wasn’t what he was trying to do? This kid’s a top talent and shooting through a defenders legs is standard procedure these days. It looked intentional to me.

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      • He admitted in the post game interview that he was not trying to shoot between the defenders legs, but only to “shoot it hard” . He could have easily said he tried to put it through the defenders legs and nobody would have doubted him. That kind of youthful honesty is quite refreshing and speaks to his character !

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