The LA Galaxy have officially signed rookie defender Kofi Opare, the team announced Monday.
A second round pick (24th overall) in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Opare trained with the Galaxy throughout the preseason, appearing in four of the club’s seven preseason games. A four-year starter at the University of Michigan, Opare will be eligible to make his debut on Wednesday night when the Galaxy host Herediano in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer).
A native of Ghana, Opare also lived in South Africa and the United States before his family settled in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He debuted for the Wolverines in 2009 when he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He set career-highs for games played and games started as a sophomore in 2010, helping lead Michigan to the College Cup Semifinals for the first time in school history. A Second Team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, Opare scored a career-high three goals during his senior season when he served as one of the Wolverines tri-captains. He finished his Michigan career with six goals and two assists in 76 games for the Wolverines.
