On Monday, Minneapolis City announced the commitments of Valparaiso forward Matthew Gweh and Post University defender Abdallah Bah. The duo are the Crows’ first to be paired with host families that will provide housing over the summer for the 2016 Premier League of America season.
Gweh, who hails from Apple Valley, was Minnesota’s 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year. Now in his junior year at Valparaiso in Indiana, Gweh is coming off a 2015 collegiate season that saw him tally three goals and three assists, placing 41.7 percent of his shots on frame for the Cursaders while starting 16 of 18 games.
Bah, born in Sierra Leone before spending formative years in Osseo, also started 16 of 18 games for his school this past season. The defensive midfielder collected just a single yellow card in 957 minutes as was an integral part of an Eagles defense that conceded just 1.15 goals per game.
City head coach Keith Kiecker described Gweh and Bah as, “Two amazing guys to have in the club,” adding, “Gweh is a threat up top that will work well with Sam Forsgren and a few other guys on trial. Bah is super smooth, and great in possession and defensively in one-on-one situations.”
Kiecker expects Gweh to lend versatility to City’s attack, offering combination play and goal scoring as either an attacking midfielder or a withdrawn forward. Gweh’s athleticism should also provide benefits when pressing on defense.
Bah’s one-on-one defending, composure and technical ability will allow him to play as either a centerback, fullback or defensive midfielder. “The canvas is blank on who is going where. The goal is to figure out where each guy plays the best and who plays best together, so that we can put the strongest team possible on the field,” Kiecker noted.
Both Gweh and Bah will be spending the summer with host families arranged by City. “We reach out on a player’s behalf so that our players have a great experience with Minneapolis City,” said Kiecker. “We feel it’s a huge advantage for us. We’ll know our players are being provided a welcoming home by host families that are there to support them. That gives our players stability so they can focus on playing soccer, which will pay dividends on the field.”
In addition to housing, Kiecker and City will also be working to provide players with support such as internships, community service commitments, transportation and additional games outside of PLA play through the various Stegman’s teams tied to City’s larger club structure. “You can see their inability to really focus on soccer with seven other balls in the air from social media to internships to summer school and so on. For some of the kids that need housing, this will allow them to focus on one ball at a time,” stated Kiecker. “We want to work with our network and supporters to ensure the players’ basic needs are met. That’s what community is to MCSC.”
Gweh and Bah will join several other Minnesotans returning home to compete in the PLA who are currently playing collegiately out of state. City will be able to call upon plenty of talent in its inaugural season, and it will be up to Kiecker and the rest of his coaching staff to get the Crows playing cohesively amid players returning from and leaving for school over the course of the summer. The flexibility provided by the addition of Gweh and Bah should aid in that task.
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