Rashid Nuhu is living the dream (literally and figuratively).
Thanks to the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, he was not only able to get an education in the United States but is now thriving in a pro soccer career and reigning as USL League One’s top goalkeeper for a second straight year.
"I'm very appreciative about the Academy. This was an opportunity to get an education,” said Nuhu, a native of Ghana and one of the heroes of Union Omaha's double-Cupset 2022 Open Cup run to the Quarterfinals. "I'm always grateful for that. I never take it for granted. There are kids who would love to be in my shoes and play football. I have to keep working."
Which Nuhu has. In 2021, he backstopped Union Omaha to a first-place regular-season finish in USL League One, in the third tier of the U.S. professional system, before the team captured the national championship. To top that off, Nuhu has been named the league's latest Golden Glove winner with an over 70-percent save percentage.
Big Experience Pays off
Nuhu, 27, would not be in the position he’s in if not for the Right to Dream Academy.
He joined the Academy when he was 12 years old. Three years later, he accepted a four-year scholarship to attend the Kent School in Connecticut. In many respects, he was following in the footsteps of his older brother, Razak Nuhu, a former Ghana international left-back who signed with Manchester City and played on loan with clubs in Norway, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia.
Nuhu said the organization has helped many “young talented African players to follow that dream to become a professional soccer player and get an education…They keep working with the kids to become better people in general.”
When he first came over to the States, Nuhu admitted he didn't know what to expect -- although he got useful advice from some former Academy students.
"So you kind of had an idea," said the goalkeeper who made save after save in 2022 Open Cup wins over MLS sides Chicago Fire and Minnesota United last year – before losing out to eventual Semifinalists Sporting Kansas City. "You didn't really have the full experience."
Departing from Accra and landing in New York City can be quite the culture shock, as Nuhu learned.
"That's definitely a shock even though I've been to Europe," he said. "It's definitely a big shock, how big the city is, how tall the buildings are. When I came [officials]…showed me around on what to do or what not to do."
New England Winters Need Adjustment
Nuhu was not prepared for the weather in Connecticut.
Accra has a tropical climate. Temperatures can range from a low of 66 degrees to a high of 102. The country's mean temperature is 83. In contrast, Kent experiences four seasons and temperatures can range from very cold (15 degrees) and snowy (an average of four feet a year) in the winter to temperatures as high as 82 in July.
"When I came, it was the fall. It was pretty decent," he said.
But then came the change of seasons.