Manu Duah

Manu Duah (born 5 June 2005) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Diego FC. A Generation Adidas player, he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

Manu Duah

Duah playing for San Diego FC in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth	(2005-06-05) 5 June 2005 (age 20)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Position	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	San Diego FC
Number	26
Youth career
0000–2024	Santa Barbara SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2024	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	14	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2025–	San Diego FC	14	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:09, 22 October 2025 (UTC)

College career

UC Santa Barbara

Duah played for one season as a freshman for UC Santa Barbara, appearing in 14 games for the Gauchos.^[2]

Starting in all 14 of his appearances, Duah helped the Gauchos to a 12–5–5 record in the 2024 season.^{[attribution needed]} Duah's collegiate career ended at the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament where the Gauchos beat UCLA 1–0 in the first round in overtime before falling to Stanford in round 2 in penalties.^[3]

Club career

San Diego FC

Duah was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by San Diego FC (SDFC). With the selection, Duah became the first-ever draft pick for San Diego FC, an expansion club.^[4][5] SDFC coach Mikey Varas has said that he believes Duah has potential to "dominate" the league.^[6]

On 25 June 2025, Duah made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut in San Diego FC's 5–3 away win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.^[7] On 19 July 2025, he made his first home start in a 1–1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Despite scoring an own goal, he was selected as the player of the match.^[8][9]