Kwasi Poku Explained

Kwasi Poku
Birth Date:6 February 2003
Birth Place:Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Height:1.91m
Position:Striker, Left back
Currentclub:RWD Molenbeek
Clubnumber:20
Youthclubs1:Brampton East SC
Youthclubs2:Woodbridge Strikers
Youthyears3:2018
Youthclubs3:Unionville Milliken SC
Youthyears4:2019–2022
Youthclubs4:Toronto FC
Years1:2021
Clubs1:Toronto FC III
Caps1:4
Goals1:0
Years2:2021
Clubs2:Toronto FC II
Caps2:1
Goals2:0
Years3:2022–2024
Clubs3:Forge FC
Caps3:60
Goals3:11
Years4:2023
Clubs4:→ Sigma FC (loan)
Caps4:1
Goals4:0
Years5:2024–
Caps5:11
Goals5:3
Club-Update:December 1, 2024
Nationalyears1:2022
Nationalteam1:Canada U20
Nationalcaps1:5
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2024–
Nationalteam2:Canada
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalteam-Update:October 15, 2024

Kwasi Poku (born February 6, 2003) is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Challenger Pro League club RWD Molenbeek and the Canada national team.

Early life

Poku began playing youth soccer at age six with Brampton East SC. He later played youth soccer with the Woodbridge Strikers, with whom he won the 2017 U14 Ontario Indoor Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Ottawa St. Anthony.[1] He was also part of the provincial Team Ontario that year.[2] He later played for Unionville Milliken SC for about six months, before joining the Toronto FC Academy, after impressing in a match against TFC while with Unionville in November 2018 and being invited for a tryout.[3] [4] He departed the Toronto FC Academy in February 2022.

Club career

Toronto FC

In 2021, he played with Toronto FC III in the League1 Ontario Summer Championship division making his debut on July 31 against Alliance United.[5] After the season, he joined the second team Toronto FC II in USL League One. He made his debut on October 1, 2021 against North Carolina FC.[6] In February 2022, he departed the Toronto FC organization.[7]

Forge FC

In February 2022, he signed a professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.[8] He made his debut for his new club on February 16 in a 2022 CONCACAF Champions League match against Cruz Azul.[9] [10] Poku scored his first goal on October 9, 2022 in a 1–0 victory over the HFX Wanderers.[11]

In January 2023, Poku went on trial with Swedish Allsvenskan club BK Häcken.[12] In 2023, he played one game on loan with Forge's affiliate Sigma FC in League1 Ontario.[13] In later September 2023, he was named the CPL player of the week.[14] At the end of the 2023 season, he was nominated for the CPL U21 Player of the Year award.[15] [16] In October of the same year, he helped Forge win their fourth league title, following a 2–1 win over Cavalry FC in the play-off final.[17]

During the 2024 season, he was moved from his typical left-back position to centre forward, after several injuries to the team's forwards.[18] [19] [20] On June 23, 2024, he scored a brace in a 2–1 victory over Valour FC.[21] [22] He was named the league's Player of the Month for June 2024.[23] On July 10, he scored a backheel goal against Major League Soccer club Toronto FC in a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the 2024 Canadian Championship semi-finals.[24] On July 14, he scored another brace in a 2–1 victory over Pacific FC,[25] earning league Player of the Week honours.[26] In August 2024, he began to be held out of matches for precautionary reasons, amid transfer interest from foreign clubs.[27] [28] [29] At the end of the 2024 season (even though he had already departed the club), he was named the Canadian Premier League's Best Canadian Under-21 Player Award.[30]

RWD Molenbeek

On August 21, 2024, Poku transferred to RWD Molenbeek of the Challenger Pro League for an undisclosed CPL-record transfer fee.[31] [32] He made his debut on August 23 against Eupen.[33] On September 21, he scored his first goals for the club, netting a brace in a 3-0 victory over Jong Genk.[34]

International career

Born in Canada, Poku is of Ghanaian descent.[35] In April 2022, he was called up to the Canadian Under-20 team for two matches against Costa Rica.[36] In June 2022, he was named to the Canadian U-20 team for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[37] He appeared in all four of the team's matches, playing a total of 385 minutes, prior to their elimination in the round of 16.[38]

In October 2024, Poku was called up to the Canadian senior national team for the first time, for a friendly match against Panama.[39] [40] He made his debut in that match, in a substitute appearance, on October 15.[41] [42]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeaguePlayoffsDomestic CupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Forge FC2022Canadian Premier League201103[43] 020261
20232322010—262
20241780042102210
Total60113082307413
RWDM2024–25Challenger Pro League82—21—103
Career total681330103308416

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
Canada202410
Total10

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kwasi Poku Leads Woodbridge Strikers to U-14 Boys Ontario Indoor Cup Title. Ontario Soccer Association. January 26, 2017.
  2. Web site: Team Ontario U14 Boys. Ontario Soccer Association.
  3. Web site: Forge FC signs ex-HFX midfielder Sissoko, local product Poku. February 2, 2022. Canadian Premier League.
  4. Web site: 'Dreamers are rewarded': Budding talent Kwasi Poku looks to shine for Canada. October 13, 2024. Sportsnet. John. Molinaro.
  5. Web site: Kwasi Poku 2021 L1O Stats. League1 Ontario.
  6. Web site: Match Recap: North Carolina FC Fall to Toronto FC II on the Road. Hannah. Martin. October 1, 2021. North Carolina FC.
  7. Web site: Ex-TFC academy product Kwasi Poku set for CPL Final with Forge. October 26, 2023. TFC Republic. John. Molinaro.
  8. Web site: Forge FC Sign Midfielders Sissoko & Poku. Forge FC. February 2, 2022.
  9. Web site: Brampton's Kwasi Poku impresses despite Forge loss. Brampton Soccer. February 17, 2022.
  10. Web site: 'Ready for a little bit of everything:' Kwasi Poku makes big strides in first pro season. Anthony. Urciuoli. August 11, 2022. Forge FC.
  11. Web site: HFX Wanderers' disappointing season comes to a close with loss to Forge. George. Myrer. October 9, 2022. SaltWire Network.
  12. Web site: Forge's Poku On Trial With BK Hacken. January 17, 2023. Jacques. John. Northern Tribune.
  13. Web site: Kwasi Poku 2023 L1O Stats. League1 Ontario. https://web.archive.org/web/20230430110938/https://www.league1ontario.com/roster_players/65073805?subseason=875807. April 30, 2023.
  14. Web site: Kwasi Poku Named CPL Player of the Week for Week 24. September 26, 2023. Forge FC.
  15. Web site: Kwasi Poku Nominated for Best Canadian Under-21 Player. October 17, 2023. Forge FC.
  16. Web site: Cameron, De Brienne, Poku nominated for Best Canadian U-21 Player Award. October 17, 2023. Canadian Premier League.
  17. Web site: Tierney . Mitchell . October 28, 2023 . HIGHLIGHTS + ANALYSIS: Forge wins 2023 North Star Cup, defeating Cavalry to lift fourth playoff crown (Oct. 28, 2023) . October 29, 2023 . OneSoccer.
  18. Web site: What makes Kwasi Poku so effective as a striker? - CPL Newsroom pres. by Volkswagen. June 5, 2024. Canadian Premier League.
  19. Web site: 'It plays to my strengths': Why Kwasi Poku is thriving as a striker with Forge FC. July 3, 2024. Mitchell. Tierney. Canadian Premier League.
  20. Web site: Kwasi Poku's Explosive Form in the Canadian Premier League: A Rising Star. July 30, 2024. Forge FC.
  21. Web site: Match Analysis: Early Poku brace lifts Forge over Valour despite back-and-forth second half. Charlie. O'Connor-Clarke. June 23, 2024. Canadian Premier League.
  22. Web site: Forge 2-1 Valour: Poku Gives Valour Hammer Blow. June 24, 2024. Northern Tribune. David. Parkes.
  23. Web site: Forge FC's Kwasi Poku named CPL Player of the Month for June. July 3, 2024. Canadian Premier League.
  24. Web site: 14e journée de CPL : L'Atlético Ottawa en forme; Kwasi Poku en feu. CPL Matchday 14: Atlético Ottawa in form; Kwasi Poku on fire. fr. July 16, 2024. Quentin. Parisis. Canadian Premier League.
  25. Web site: Match Analysis: Poku brace powers persistent Forge past Pacific FC at Tim Hortons Field. July 14, 2024. Canadian Premier League. Mitchell. Tierney.
  26. Web site: Kwasi Poku Named CPL Player of the Week for Week 14. July 17, 2024. Forge FC.
  27. Web site: Kwasi Poku held out of Forge lineup amid 'interest in the transfer market'. August 15, 2024. Canadian Premier League.
  28. Web site: Poku Absent Amid 'Quite A Bit Of Interest' In Transfer Market. August 15, 2024. Northern Tribune. John. Jacques.
  29. Web site: Forge FC mulling over multiple offers — with interest from North America and Europe — for Kwasi Poku. Wanderers Notebook. August 15, 2024. Josh. Healey.
  30. Web site: Former Forge striker Kwasi Poku named 2024 CPL Best Canadian U-21 Player. November 7, 2024. Canadian Premier League. Benedict. Rhodes.
  31. Forge FC Announce League Record Transfer Fee of Kwasi Poku to RWD Molenbeek . Forge FC . August 21, 2024 . August 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240821203136/https://forgefc.canpl.ca/article/forge-fc-announce-league-record-transfer-fee-of-kwasi-poku-to-rwd-molenbeek . August 21, 2024 . live.
  32. News: Challenger Pro League - Le Canadien Kwasi Poku signe pour deux ans au RWDM . Challenger Pro League: Canadian Kwasi Poku signs for two years at RWDM . fr . . . August 21, 2024 . August 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240821202542/https://www.lalibre.be/dernieres-depeches/2024/08/21/challenger-pro-league-le-canadien-kwasi-poku-signe-pour-deux-ans-au-rwdm-VOOA5OWARZGXPOQKHANX3IV2QA/ . August 21, 2024 . live.
  33. Web site: Canadians Abroad Roundup: Alistair Johnston shining with Celtic, Moïse Bombito shown red, Sigur returns. September 1, 2024. Mitchell. Bailey.
  34. Web site: Le RWDM poursuit son sans-faute à Genk (0-3). RWDM continues its flawless performance in Genk (0-3). September 22, 2024. BX1. fr.
  35. Web site: Canadian-born Ghanaian youngster Kwasi Poku on trials at BK Häcken. January 17, 2023. Kick GH.
  36. Web site: Bontis & Poku called up to the men's U20 national team camp in Costa Rica. April 5, 2022. Forge FC.
  37. Web site: 6 CPLers named to Canada squad for Concacaf Men's U-20 Championship. . June 10, 2022. Charlie. O'Connor-Clarke.
  38. Web site: 'I'm excited to see what's next': After brief taste of Europe, Forge's Kwasi Poku eager to be latest CPL export. Alexandre. Gangué-Ruzic. OneSoccer. September 9, 2023.
  39. Web site: Poku's breakout at Forge to earn European move, CanMNT call-up an ideal template for young Canadians. October 2, 2024. Canadian Premier League. Charlie. O'Connor-Clarke.
  40. Web site: Former Forge FC star Kwasi Poku named in CanMNT squad for October friendly. October 2, 2024. Canadian Premier League. Charlie. O'Connor-Clarke.
  41. Web site: 21-year-old Kwasi Poku becomes the latest debutant for Jesse Marsch's ambitious Canadian men's soccer team. October 15, 2024. CBC Sports. Chris. Jones.
  42. Web site: 'I want to be an inspiration': Poku reflects on rapid ascent from CPL to CanMNT debut. October 15, 2024. Canadian Premier League. Charlie. O'Connor-Clarke.
  43. Includes appearance in the 2020 Canadian Championship final (played in 2022)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kwasi Poku".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.