Wahab Ackwei

Wahab Ackwei

Personal information
Date of birth	(1996-10-19) 19 October 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	El Paso Locomotive
Number	3
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2017	Inter Allies	56	(3)
2018	New York Red Bulls II	7	(0)
2019–2020	Richmond Kickers	38	(0)
2021	Loudoun United	9	(0)
2022–2023	Rio Grande Valley FC	55	(4)
2024	Colorado Springs Switchbacks	5	(1)
2024–	El Paso Locomotive	9	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:58, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

Wahab Ackwei (born 19 October 1996) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive.

Career

Inter Allies

Ackwei made his debut in Ghanaian professional football during the 2015 season with Inter Allies FC in the Ghanaian Division One. Ackwei scored his first goal for Inter Allies on 20 March 2017 in a 1–0 victory over Tema Youth F.C.[1] On 28 June 2017 he scored the loan goal for Inter Allies in a 1–0 victory over Bechem United.[2] On 8 October 2017 Ackwei scored his team's opening goal from the penalty spot in a 2–0 victory over Medeama S.C.[3] At the conclusion of the 2017 season in which he scored 3 goals in 23 appearances it was reported that clubs from Europe and Major League Soccer were in pursuit of the defender.[4]

Ackwei played at the club for three years before leaving at the expiration of his contract during December 2017.[5] After leaving Inter Allies, it was reported that Ackwei had an offer from Accra Hearts of Oak after a deal with Danish club Viborg FF failed to materialize.[6]

New York Red Bulls II

On 14 February 2018 it was announced that Ackwei had signed with New York Red Bulls II.[7]

Richmond Kickers

In March 2019, the Richmond Kickers signed Ackwei.[8]

Loudoun United

Ackwei signed with Loudoun United on 11 February 2021.[9]

Rio Grande Valley FC

On 11 February 2022, Ackwei moved to USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC.[10] On May 5, 2022, Ackwei scored his first goal for RGV during a 3–2 loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.[11]

Colorado Springs Switchbacks

Following Rio Grande Valley folding Ackewi moved to Colorado Springs Switchbacks ahead of their 2024 season.[12]

El Paso Locomotive

In August 2024, Ackwei was traded to El Paso Locomotive in exchange for Justin Dhillon.[13]

Career statistics

As of 16 October 2024[14]

Club	Season	League			Cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Inter Allies	2015	Ghana Premier League	12	0	0	0	–		–		12	0
	2016	Ghana Premier League	21	0	0	0	–		–		21	0
	2017	Ghana Premier League	23	3	0	0	–		–		23	3
	Total		56	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	56	3
New York Red Bulls II	2018	USL	7	0	–		–		0	0	7	0
Richmond Kickers	2019	USL League One	25	0	1	1	–		0	0	26	1
	2020	USL League One	13	0	0	0	–		0	0	13	0
	Total		38	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	39	1
Loudoun United FC	2021	USL Championship	9	0	0	0	–		0	0	9	0
Rio Grande Valley FC Toros	2022	USL Championship	31	2	2	0	–		0	0	15	1
	2023		23	2	1	0	–		0	0	24	2
	Total		63	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	65	4
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC	2024	USL Championship	5	1	1	0	–		0	0	6	1
El Paso Locomotive FC	2024	USL Championship	8	0	0	0	–		0	0	8	0
Career total			170	8	5	1	0	0	0	0	175	9

1. Appearance in the U.S. Open Cup

Honours

Individual

• USL Championship All League Second Team: 2022[15]

References

1. "Inter Allies Defender Wahab Ackwei Wants To Add Goals To His Game". sportsnetghana.com. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
2. "Match report: Inter Allies 1-0 Bechem United". ghanaweb.com. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
3. "Match report: Inter Allies 2-0 Medeama". 777score.ng. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
4. "Top clubs in Europe and America chasing Inter Allies defender Wahab Ackwei". topghananews.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
5. "Wahab Ackwei leaves Inter Allies after 3 years". sunnews.info. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
6. "Ackwei agrees terms with Hearts". sunnews.info. 20 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
7. "NYRB II Sign Steven Echevarria and Wahab Ackwei". newyorkredbulls.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
8. "American side Richmond Kickers FC sign Ghanaian youngster Wahab Ackwei". footballghana.com. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
9. "Loudoun United Adds Quartet of Newcomers to Squad". loudoununitedfc.com. 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
10. "Toros Add Wahab Ackwei to Defensive Corps". 11 February 2022.
11. "MATCH RECAP: LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT FOR RGV FC IN COLORADO". rgvfc.com. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
12. [e-mail], Hugh Johnson (9 December 2023). "Colorado Springs Switchbacks coach Stephen Hogan said decisions on Romario Williams, Deshane Beckford were business, club signs three". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
13. Huichapa, Alberto. "El Paso Locomotive FC Acquire Wahab Ackwei via Transfer From Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC". EPLocomotiveFC.com. El Paso Locomotive. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
14. Wahab Ackwei at Soccerway
15. "USL Championship Announces 2022 All-League Teams". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL. November 1, 2022. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

External links

• Wahab Ackwei at Soccerway.com
• Wahab Ackwei at FBref.com
• Wahab Ackwei at USL League One
• Wahab Ackwei at Inter Allies FC
• Wahab Ackwei at WorldFootball.com Archived 6 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine