Pacific FC has brought in some experienced reinforcements in the last few days, signing former Whitecaps FC winger Kekuta Manneh to the squad.
Manneh will look to fill the void left by star winger Marco Bustos, who left this past off season to play in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top professional league.
Though head coach James Merriman may deploy him in Bustos’ former right wing spot, Manneh’s tool kit will be completely different.
A smaller winger at 5’8, Manneh has wreaked havoc on fullbacks in the MLS for the better part of 8 seasons. He is brave attacking down the wing, and is unafraid to run at defenders and beat them with pace.
If, at 28-years-old, he still has remotely the same amount of speed he did with the Whitecaps, PFC fans will be buzzing every time he collects the ball in space.
Manneh will join the Canadian Premier League as the player with the most MLS appearances at 178. He was the Whitecaps’ 4th overall pick back in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, and made an immediate impact, scoring 6 goals in 20 appearances.
His best MLS season came with the Whitecaps in 2015, when he scored 7 goals in 34 games along with 5 assists.
“He is one of the biggest signings in the Canadian Premier League’s short history,” Merriman said in a press release.
“He will absolutely have a great impact on our team. Kekuta is an incredibly humble character and I look forward to the season working with him.”
PFC will open their season at Starlight Stadium on April 15th at 4 p.m., hosting BC expansion rivals Vancouver FC in their first ever Canadian Premier League Match.
