Phoenix Rising inks forward Richmond Antwi to multi-year deal

Phoenix Rising FC on Thursday announced the signing of forward Richmond Antwi to a multi-year contract.

The signing marks PRFC’s third new addition since Dec. 9.

This will also be the first time the 20-year-old Antwi has played in the U.S. after spending his entire career in Africa.

We weren't kidding. @Antwi68425786 knows how to find the back of the net.#RisingAsOne pic.twitter.com/k6XRWaZu3a

— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) December 16, 2021

“Richmond is a very talented striker,” manager Rick Schantz said in a press release. “He will bring extraordinary speed and power to our team. He’ll be a handful for any defender.

“He is young but has experience playing at the highest levels in Sudan and Ghana. I’m very excited to work with him and help him take the next step in his development at Phoenix Rising.”

Antwi broke out during the 2018-19 season while playing for Sudanese first division side Al Khartoum FC where he bagged 18 goals and notched four assists in 17 matches.

Following a transfer to Al Merrikh FC for the 2019-20 campaign, the Ghanaian scored seven goals and registered five assists in 11 appearances.

Antwi spent this past season in his home country of Ghana with Legion Cities FC where the forward netted four goals and had three assists.

Only time will tell. Antwi doesn’t fit the typical Schantz No. 9 profile (Adam Jahn, Rufat Dadashov) but Darren Mattocks was a similar size and came to #PRFC from the Sudan league. In fact, Antwi (2020) and Mattocks (2021) both played for Al-Merrikh one year apart. #RisingAsOne https://t.co/aUV4flVXvt

— Jake Anderson (@jwa1994) December 16, 2021

“I’ve been following Rising for a few months now,” Antwi said in the release. “I feel like it will be a very good fit for me. It’s a very good club and I really like the playing style. I’m excited to travel there, meet everyone and prepare for next season.”

Antwi won’t be the first Ghanaian to don a Phoenix Rising kit, as Solomon Asante — PRFC’s captain the last three years — also hails from the northwest African country.

However, USL Championship’s back-to-back league MVP in 2020-21 remains as a free agent and will be 31 years old for the 2022 season.

No. 6 midfielder Kevon Lambert finds himself in a similar situation, as the Jamaican is also a free agent after a little more than four seasons with PRFC and turns 25 years old in March.

Phoenix Rising is still in ongoing negotiations with “several players” and has now 17 players signed to its roster ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season:

Goalkeeper: Lalo Delgado

Fullbacks: Joey Calistri, Ryan Flood, Darnell King, Baboucarr “Babou” Njie

Center backs: Niall Dunn, Joe Farrell, Manuel Madrid, James Musa

Midfielders: Ivan Gutierrez, Jonathan Levin, Aodhan Quinn, Arturo Rodriguez, Luis Seijas

Forwards: Santi Moar, Marcus Epps, Richmond Antwi

Follow @jwa1994