Minnesota United sign Patrick Weah to Homegrown deal

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing

Minnesota United have signed forward Patrick Weah to a Homegrown deal, the club announced Thursday. He signed a four year deal with a club option for a fifth season.

Weah, 17, was named 2017 Minnesota State Player of the Year and was the leading goal scorer in the Loons' academy. He is currently with Saint Louis University, where he has a goal in three appearances. 

“It’s another chapter in us showing that we are committed to the youth development,” Adrian Heath said in a club statement. “As I said last year when we signed Fred [Emmings], if there was more kids that we felt were ready to make the step, we would have done it. Patrick [Weah] is another one of them kids. He’s got loads of raw, natural talent. We have to harness that over the next few years, and then try and teach him the sort of nuances of the game, because of all the physicality in the game. And the basics, he’s got in abundance."

Weah is the cousin of US national team forward Tim Weah and the nephew of Liberian legend and current president George Weah.

"We’re delighted he’s decided to join us," Heath said. "It’s the start of a lot of hard work for him but we feel as though he’s got a lot of raw attributes to make the next step. Can we continue this now, can we continually bring one or two players from the system below, to keep promoting them to the first team squad? That’s got to be the aim."

Minnesota have acquired the likes of Juan Agudelo, Jukka Raitala, Wil Trapp and more this winter.