In 2015, the Columbus Crew added a defender from an unlikely place. The Ghana-born Harrison Afful, in his sixth year playing in Tunisia, signed with Columbus. On Friday, the former Crew fullback signed with Major League Soccer expansion side Charlotte FC as a free agent.
Afful’s signing wasn’t all that unlikely, considering he represented Ghana in the 2014 World Cup alongside future Crew center back Jonathan Mensah. What followed his signing was seven seasons of service to club and city alike.
From his first season with the team, then-head coach Gregg Berhalter saw the impact.