Phoenix Rising coach Rick Schantz has thanked Didier Drogba and Patrice Carteron for bringing Solomon Asante to the club after the Ghana forward notched a brace in the side’s 3-0 win against Oakland Roots SC in the USL Championship on Saturday.
Asante joined the Arizona-based outfit in 2018 after ending his four-year stay at Congolese giants Tout Puissant Mazembe.
It took the efforts of Ivorian legend Didier Drogba who is a part-owner of the club and then coach Patrice Carteron to persuade the 30-year-old to join the club.
The Ghanaian purchase has been a huge success — guiding the club to the final of the USL Championship in 2020 — though the game was cancelled due to the emergence of the Coronavirus.
On a personal level, Asante won four awards at Phoenix Rising gala for his outstanding contributions to the team’s success in the USL Championship regular season after finding the back of the net on 22 occasions.
He claimed his club’s Golden Boot, Most Valuable Player, Goal of the Season and Players’ Player awards.
Aside from his imposing goalscoring run, Asante provided 16 assists for Phoenix Rising, who were crowned USL Championship regular season title winners.
The Ghana international was named the USL Championship MVP for the second consecutive season — becoming the first back-to-back USL MVP winner.
He netted another 22 goals and added 17 assists that campaign — etching his name in the league’s folklore as one of only two players in league history to have notched more than 40 goals and 30 assists.
The former Berekum Chelsea ace has again began the 2022 term in an explosive fashion, scoring two goals in two matches to move his side to the summit of the Western Conference pile.
Rising manager Rick Schantz stated Asante’s impact off it as just as important for the squad.
“I wish you guys knew how much he does for this team,” said Phoenix Rising manager Rick Schantz.
“Every player looks up to him, figuratively, and he is the most loved in the locker room. He is like a son to me and I am so fortunate to have a player like this and have to thank Didier and Patrice. He does so much more than score goals and I was really happy that he got his two goals today.”
“It was not the first goal of the second half as Rising doubled their lead after a beautiful long ball from the defensive half by James Musa got to Moar who beat two defenders to it and finished it between the keeper’s feet in the 48th minute,” he concluded.
Asante is expected to lead his club when they play as guests to Tampa Bay Rowdies at the Al Lang Stadium on Saturday.
By: Reuben Obodai