As earlier reported today by Kyle McCarthy and confirmed by others such as Marc Weber, the New England Revolution have announced they have traded for midfielder Gershon Koffie of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Revs will receive Koffie in exchange for undisclosed amounts of general allocation money and targeted allocation money (TAM). Also included in the trade is a sell on clause, which would give Vancouver a percentage of any future transfer fees obtained by New England in any transfer involving Koffie.
"Gershon is a strong central midfield player who, at just 24, has proven success and experience in MLS," said Revolution General Manger Michael Burns. "We're pleased we were able to acquire him and we look forward to getting him into camp with the rest of our players and coaching staff as soon as possible."
It is a somber exit for Koffie, a fan favorite in Vancouver and the team's all-time leader in MLS regular season games played with 133. The Ghanaian native finished second in tackles won among Whitecaps players with 54, and his 2,001 minutes logged ranked sixth on the team during the 2015 season. Head coach Carl Robinson and Koffie spoke to the local media as the deal was announced.
Robinson: "It's never easy parting ways with a player like Gersh, someone I admire greatly." #vwfc #mls
— Marc Weber (@ProvinceWeber) February 11, 2016
Koffie: "Words cannot explain my love for Vancouver. Vancouver has a room in my heart and it owns the key." #VWFC #ThxGersh
— Farhan Devji (@farhandevji) February 11, 2016
Koffie joins a Revolution side that is returning the bulk of its roster from the previous season. Koffie seems to be the replacement for out-of-contract midfielder Jermaine Jones and the now injured Designated Player Xavier Kouassi who was set to join New England in the summer. Koffie and Diago Kobayashi will likely fill the holding midfielder void next to Scott Caldwell in Jay Heaps' 4-2-3-1 formation.
Gershon Koffie and Revs assistant coach Tom Soehn have a long history, as it was Soehn who scouted and signed Koffie to the Whitecaps back in 2010 when Vancouver was still in the USL. Koffie signed an MLS contract in 2011 when the team started its expansion season. Before his time in North America, Koffie played four full seasons with International Allies, who then competed in Ghana's third-tier Division Two League from 2006-09.
Koffie joins former Whitecaps players Kobayashi and keeper Brad Knighton on the Revs roster, both were acquired via trade to New England. The Revs also claimed Lee Nguyen off waivers following his release from the Whitecaps.