Emmanuel Ekpo ready for soccer’s Olympic stage

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Just because the U.S. men’s soccer team has long since left Beijing doesn’t mean that Major League Soccer’s interest in the Olympic tournament has ended.

In fact, there’s an MLS player who is guaranteed of winning at least a silver medal.

Emmanuel Ekpo, a 20-year-old midfielder from Ekori, Nigeria, plays in MLS for the Columbus Crew, and on Saturday he and the rest of the Nigerian Olympic team will take on defending champion Argentina for the Olympic gold.

Crew Coach Sigi Schmid, who signed Ekpo in April, said he rates the young Nigerian highly as a player and is not surprised at the success he has enjoyed.

“He’s a great kid,” Schmid said. “He’s a good player. When he came in to train with us, after two days we said, ‘Yes, we want to sign him.’ He’s going to get better and better because he’s only 20 and he looks like he’s 20.

“The one thing I like about him is some players pick and choose when they work at practice, but he works pretty consistently. He’s got a great first step, he’s got great quickness, he’s got good vision, and he’s pretty good at knowing where he’s at in a game.”

He’s also got a silver medal wrapped up, with a chance at winning the gold in a final that is a repeat of the title game at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Then, the Nigerians upset the Argentines to claim the gold, and Schmid believes they can do it again.

“They’re a funky team,” he said.

A funky team with an MLS star in the making.

-- Grahame L. Jones