The longest-serving active Whitecaps FC player is on his way to New England. The Whitecaps have traded Gershon Koffie to the New England Revolution in exchange for allocation money, targeted allocation money (TAM), and retain a percentage of future transfer fees.
NEWS: #VWFC trade Gershon Koffie to @NERevolution for allocation money and TAM, retain % of future transfer fees –> https://t.co/hThUdoiqlV
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) February 11, 2016
Koffie first joined the Whitecaps in their final year in the USL and made the jump with the team to MLS in 2011. The 24-year-old midfielder has appeared in 133 games with the club over five seasons and was one of the more popular players in the locker room.
Robbo on Koffie trade: "It's never easy parting ways with a player like Gersh, someone I admire greatly."
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) February 11, 2016
But for the Whitecaps, it was time to move on.
Co-host of From The Backline, Jorge Mendoza, agrees with moving Koffie:
His development had plateaued in the last couple of years and the emergence of young players like Teibert, Flores, and Froese alongside cap constraints makes this a difficult but sensible move.
Look for 19-year-old midfielder Deybi Flores in particular, to play a bigger role this season. He joined the Caps on loan last season, appearing in nine games and starting five of them.
#NERevs FACT: Koffie was discovered in Ghana by assistant coach Tom Soehn when he was director of operations at #VWFC back in 2010.
— The REView (@RevsViews) February 11, 2016
The move may have been facilitated by former Whitecaps director of soccer operations Tom Soehn, now an assistant coach with the New England Revolution. Soehn discovered Koffie in 2010 when he was playing in Ghana.
The Whitecaps have three preseason games remaining before beginning the regular season against Montreal at home on March 6.
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