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Atlanta United have officially announced the signing of their third ever player. On Wednesday, the club confirmed that it has signed Jeffrey Otoo.
#ATLUTD signs Ghanaian player Jeffrey Otoo https://t.co/POvorQHjIv pic.twitter.com/uwPoZivGZR
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 1, 2016
Otoo is a diminutive (5 foot, 9 inches tall) 18-year-old from Ghana who has been playing with the Charity Stars FC in his home country. The team also classify him as a striker. He tallied 21 goals in 13 games since December 2015 playing for his previous club. United confirm that he will join their USL affiliate in Charleston once he arrives full-time in the United States next week.
The club's technical director Carlos Bocanegra described how they came about finding the Ghanaian youngster in a press release:
"Jeffrey is a talented young player who we identified through our international scouting network," said Atlanta United technical director Carlos Bocanegra. "Having him signed with us at this time enables him to play with Charleston Battery and get familiar with US soccer ahead of our inaugural season in 2017."
Otoo's name popped up on the MLS Player's Union salary report a few weeks ago. He was shown to be under contract for Atlanta United, but no announcement had been made. All of the details are apparently finalized now and the deal is complete.
"We really like Jeffrey's natural technical ability and unselfish style of play," said Bocanegra. "We're excited to watch him develop."
He joins Alex Tambakis and Junior Burgos on the Atlanta United roster.