Manu Duah

Scouting Report

Position : Central Defense/Defensive Midfield
Current Club : San Diego FC
DOB : June 5, 2005
Birthplace : Kumasi, Ghana
Height : 194 cm (6’4)
Weight : 86 kg (190 lbs)

Manu Duah is an intelligent and physically imposing central defensive player who can operate either as a defensive midfielder or central defender. The Ghana native spent his developmental years in southern California at Dunn School before playing for one year at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), after which he was drafted by current club San Diego FC as the number one overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

After playing 14 matches with UCSB as a defensive midfielder, Duah’s impressive size and reading of the game saw him shifted to a central defender role by San Diego coach Mikey Varas. Duah established himself as a regular contributor during the second half of the 2025 season as San Diego finished first place in the Western Conference.

What immediately stands out about Duah is his physical profile and pace, which allows him to thrive when defending in open spaces with notable tackles and displays against some of MLS’s best attackers.

Duah also regularly shows positive signs of potential and the mental side of the game with his ability to anticipate situations with good positioning and sharp ability with short to medium range passing.

The primary weaknesses for Duah emerge due to his limited experience in a professional environment. Playing the ball under high pressure is an area where Duah struggles at times and his attempts at making long range passes are predictable and lack precision. Finally, Duah still has room to improve at fully utilizing his physical characteristics, particularly on aerial duels where he needs to be more organized and precise.

Statistics

Club (Years)	League	Appearances	Goals
University of California, Santa Barbara (2024)	NCAA Division I	14
San Diego FC (2025)	Major League Soccer	19

General Pros & Cons

Advantages

Excellent anticipation and positioning instincts early in his professional career.
Shutdown defender in open spaces. Can mark both quick and stronger attackers.
Efficient passer from short to medium range.

Disadvantages

Much work to do with his heading ability and technique on aerial duels.
Struggles on the ball under pressure
Needs to learn when to be aggressive and use his physical gifts.

Physical

Good pace in open spaces where he can defend well when isolated with attackers without immediate assistance.
An impressive physical profile (1.93m) combined with a lack of professional experience suggests there is plenty of room for improvement if coached well.
Still has yet to physically assert himself in physical duels due to the lack of experience and confidence at a high professional level like MLS.

Technical

Weights passes well from short to medium range, high completion rates and efficiency when getting the ball to more creative players.
Lacks good technique and basic training on aerial duels. When Duah jumps for a header, he often turns his head away and loses sight of the ball at the moment of contact, resulting in errant headers that fail to reach a teammate or fail to go to an open space to disrupt opposition attacks.
Has promising ability on the ball and the acceleration to escape into open space when under pressure. There is a lot of potential with his ability to carry the ball but he remains unsure when to utilize it which can result in dangerous situations near his own penalty area.

Mental

Excellent defending instincts. Anticipates well where the ball is going to go and reacts quickly, resulting in timely interceptions and blocks on shot attempts.
Knows when to stay on his feet and when to go to ground. Does not take unnecessary risks with his tackles so that he remains in a strong position.
Advanced decision making with his passing. Contributes well in his role to San Diego’s possession-based tactics and does not try to do more than he is capable of.
Needs to understand more when to be aggressive with his defending in central positions.

Tactical

Promising versatility early in his career with plenty of experience at both defensive midfielder and central defender positions. Very smooth transition to central defender role after becoming a professional.
Understands when to shift outside to cover for his fullbacks without compromising his central duties.
Can struggle on the ball when playing against teams that utilize high aggression and high pressing. Needs to have a better idea of his first move when receiving the ball under pressure to avoid dangerous turnovers and situations when he dribbles into trouble.

Statistical Analysis

Statistics are based upon a sample size of 101 central defenders who played 1,000 minutes or more in the 2025 Major League Soccer season: Duah is approaching twenty appearances for San Diego this season, giving us a good sample size to see what the statistics say about his progress. One thing that becomes apparent is his passing strengths and weaknesses:

Statistics	Total	Ranking
Forward Passes/90 minutes	30.68	2nd most
Forward Pass Accuracy	3.56	84th
Long Passes	43.14	Tied for 103rd

Despite his lack of professional experience, Duah plays a substantial role in San Diego’s possession-based approach and does it well. He moves the ball effectively to the team’s more skilled players with short to medium range passes with a low amount of turnovers or errors.

However, when Duah attempts to be more ambitious with his passing, it often results in passes that go out of bounds or lead to the other team gaining possession. Many times, Duah’s long passes are the result of high pressure when he sends the ball upfield out of necessity rather than with a target in mind.

Not ready for a move to a big European league. Needs more experience in MLS or in a lesser European league.

There is no doubt that Duah is deserving of the hype that comes with being a #1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft and his first season is certainly a success. While many coaches and experts rate his high potential based on his impressive physical profile, what stands out after extended observation is his high level of intelligence and positioning.

But he has only played 20 professional matches and this shows with the weaknesses observed. University football in the United States is an inadequate level to prepare players for the high pace and pressure that is often seen in a top-5 European league. At this point, Duah is at an excellent level with MLS and another season of experience in a league like MLS or a comparable level, such as the EFL Championship (second division) in England, is a perfect level for him to continue his development. If a club from a top-four league in Europe purchased Duah, it would be necessary to send him on loan.