His path to MLS began halfway around the world in Kumasi, a town in South Central Ghana, as second-year Fire forward Patrick Nyarko found the game of soccer through his peers.
"Where I lived, most of the kids played so I took it up as well. It turned out to be a fun sport and I stuck to it," Growing up, soccer was Patrick's passion from the start but academics remained the priority. "My dad was strict with academic work and so I always had school work to do during the day, so I guess I had to do it. It was a daily routine. Go to school, play soccer, come home and do homework."
After a brief stint with Kaaseman FC of Ghana in 2005, Nyarko found himself being recruited by Coach Oliver Weiss of Virginia Tech. For Patrick, the decision was an easy one, however for his parents it proved to be difficult to let go of their son.
"We had to think about it. Give it a few days of thought. My dad wasn't convinced that it would be more of me playing soccer rather than concentrating on academics. He was unwilling to let me go initially but I saw it as a chance and he trusted me. After a couple of days, he agreed," said Nyarko.
During his college career, Patrick starred for Virginia Tech recording 31 goals and dishing out 24 assists in only 57 games for the Virginia Tech while being named All-ACC in all of his three seasons with the team. As a sophomore, the Ghana native set a school records with 16 goals and 40 points but it wasn't until his junior year where Nyarko showed his best.
After earning an NSCAA All-American first team selection, the speedy striker led his team to the Final Four where the Hokies would eventually lose to Wake Forest. Nyarko described this experience as the highlight of his college career, "...getting to the Final Four was unbelievable. Especially since we lost to a non-conference team early in the season before we gained momentum. That was a great experience moving up in the ranks and we fell just short," said Nyarko, who was also named as a Finalist for the 2007 Hermann Trophy handed out to the top men's and women's college soccer player.
Heading into what would've been his senior year; Patrick made the decision to forgo his senior year and enter the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. "It was really hard to make the decision to leave early. I had long talks with the coaches and my team," Nyarko said. "They were a little skeptical. But I felt that this was the right time for me to go."
After the Fire drafted him with the 7th overall selection; Nyarko completed his remaining college credits before joining the Fire full-time in early May. After battling through injuries and a concussion, the rookie forward appeared in nine matches and netted two goals.
"MLS is a lot quicker than the college game. The pace is a lot faster. You deal with a lot more bigger and stronger defenders. You just have to adjust to these situations."
Nyarko had surgery on his knee in the off-season and spent most of the off-season rehabbing and strengthening his leg so he could enter preseason in shape and prepared.
Four games into the 2009 MLS season, Nyarko has already contributed a goal and an assist to the offensive efforts of the Fire.
"The goal is to win every single game we play. The points at the end of the game, that's all that matters. Every single person on this team is just so competitive; there is no room for error. You have to match that intensity all the time to keep up and that's the benefit that we all have. We push each other to get better. When we walk out on the field the fans are always cheering. That gives you strength to go out on the field and make things happen. It's just a passion. Every single person - from the front office down to the last fan. That's the luxury this team has," concludes Nyarko.
