PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC announced Pa-Modou Kah as the next coach of the club last November. One month later, a familiar face joined Kah in the Valley – 22-year-old midfielder Hope Avayevu. Four months into the season, the pair have made their presence felt in the USL.
Kah was coaching at North Texas SC in 2022 when he first crossed paths with Avayevu. Avayevu had his best career season that year with five goals and eight assists in 23 appearances. Three years later, Avayevu is at his best again alongside Kah in Phoenix.
Through 18 matches, Avayevu leads Rising in goals and assists – four and six, respectively. He has brought poise and creativity to Phoenix as the team remains in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Kah has high expectations for what the Ghanaian international can achieve in his career.
“I’m very happy with what he’s doing, but I still believe he has another gear or two in him,” Kah said. “He’s giving us what we expected but he’s going to give us more.”
Avayevu was born in Accra, the capital of Ghana. His first memory playing soccer came at a local park when he was 6. His dad, who was also a coach, helped train him.
Soccer is massive around the world, especially in Africa. Avayevu, alongside kids in his community, would play the sport in the street and sometimes behind houses. Wherever there was some space, it provided an opportunity to play the game they all loved.
As Avayevu was growing up, Ghanaian soccer was doing the same. Michael Essien, the legendary soccer player for Ghana and Chelsea in the Premier League, was born in Accra and got his start playing for Liberty Professionals of the Ghana Premier League. As a Manchester United supporter, Avayevu was not the biggest fan of Essien.
Avayevu has memories of watching Ghana compete in the FIFA World Cup. The strongest memory is Ghana’s trip to the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals – one of the best performances an African team has ever had at the tournament.
Ghana suffered a dramatic end to its 2010 campaign when Uruguay forward Luis Suarez intentionally stopped the ball from going in and giving Ghana the lead during the final minutes of extra time. He received a red card, and Ghana was granted a penalty kick in the last kick of the period.
Forward Asamoah Gyan missed the kick. The game remained tied, and Uruguay won in penalties – rewarding Suarez’s sacrifice.
It was a sour memory for Avayevu but he was happy to see his country progress so far in the only World Cup ever held in Africa.
“That was a good feeling to hear that Ghana would have been the first African country to go that far in the World Cup,” Avayevu said. “(The loss to Uruguay) was a hard one. That was something nobody was expecting.”
Avayevu got his start at Faith Soccer Academy in Ghana. The team invited Avayevu to a trial game even though he hadn’t trained.
“They just gave me a jersey to come join and play,” Avayevu said. “I got to meet new people; they have good quality players, so it was a good experience.”
Avayevu was then off to Bechem United – his first professional opportunity in Ghana’s top soccer league. Some of Ghana’s top stars, like Essien and Gyan, started their careers in the Ghana Premier League.
The experience certainly gave Avayevu some exposure – one that led to his first chance to play in the United States. Avayevu was competing with Bechem United in the Dallas Cup, one of the most prestigious international youth tournaments in the country.
Even though it did not win the tournament, Bechem United fared well. FC Dallas scouts took notice, asking Avayevu and four of his teammates to return to the United States to train with them.
They trained with FC Dallas for three months and Avayevu impressed. He was the only one offered to sign a contract after the trial period.
“I wish we all got the chance, but I was excited to continue,” Avayevu said. “Before the tournament, I just wanted to be a professional player and play at a higher level. Getting the opportunity was a big one for me and my family. Emotions were really high.”
While Avayevu felt that his performances were good, the contract offer was unexpected. His first call went to his parents – a rewarding moment that made them proud of their son’s success.
For Avayevu, family is everything. Growing up, his parents tried their best to take care of the family, regardless of the situation. Much of Avayevu’s time in Ghana was spent living with other people who shared his love for soccer. But it was all worth it as Avayevu’s dreams have become a reality.
Avayevu’s time with FC Dallas was spent with its reserve team – North Texas SC. It is an MLS Next Pro team, a league in the third division of American soccer that serves as a developmental league. Avayevu spent three seasons with the club, a place where he has experienced the most longevity as a professional soccer player in the U.S.
In 63 appearances over three seasons, Avayevu contributed 11 goals and 12 assists for North Texas.
“It was kind of hard in my first season with a new environment, players and everything,” Avayevu said. “But it was a learning process for me, and in my (first two seasons), I did good. It was a good experience moving away from home and enjoying a professional life.”
Midway through Avayevu’s second season, Kah became North Texas’ new coach. The pair’s first encounter took place in Kah’s office, where he laid out his vision for his new Ghanaian midfielder.
“He was telling me how good I am and trusted that I could produce a lot of stats,” Avayevu said. “That really gave me a lot of motivation, even though we hadn’t trained on the field yet, he believed that I could do it.”
That motivation never stopped for Avayevu. He would do extra training, grabbing any opportunity to learn on and off the field.
What Avayevu appreciates most about Kah is his never-ending efforts to push for more out of his players, to never be satisfied.
“He feels like if you love the game, every single day you need to come out and show it,” Avayevu said.
Avayevu’s time with North Texas concluded following the 2023 season after the club declined an option to extend his contract for another year. His next opportunity came near the end of the 2024 season when he signed with Ventura County FC – a MLS Next Pro team affiliated with LA Galaxy.
Although his tenure with the club was short-lived, Avayevu made his presence known as he contributed four assists in seven appearances with Ventura County. The signing came as a result of his performances against the club during his time with North Texas.
“I had a talk with a coach, he watched my videos and thought that I’m the type of winger that he needs in the team,” Avayevu said. “When (North Texas SC) played against them or (LAFC 2), I dominated all those games. I proved that I can play at that level.”
Avayevu saw the opportunity to potentially train with the LA Galaxy – one of the most popular MLS clubs. Although his tenure with the club was short, Avayevu’s production proved to be useful as that November, Phoenix Rising FC announced Kah as its next coach.
Again, Avayevu was in search of another club. Less than a month into Kah joining Rising, Avayevu became one of his first signings.
“He’s a creative player with exceptional quality who will excite our fans with goals and assists,” Kah said following the signing. “My staff and I are eager to help him reach his full potential, which will, in turn, help this organization achieve success.”
Avayevu’s reason to sign with the club stemmed from an interest in reuniting with his former manager.
“I chose Phoenix because Pa talked to me about it and I know how good they’ve been in the (USL Championship),” Avayevu said. “(Pa) made me want to come here.”
Four months into the season, Avayevu has excelled as a leader among significant statistical categories and as a teammate.
After Rising’s 3-1 win on June 7, forward Dariusz Formella expressed his excitement for where his connection with Avayevu might lead.
“We didn’t show even 20% of what we can do (together),” Formella said. “As a striker, it’s good to have somebody like this behind me who can combine and play one-two touches. Today we showed a little bit but I hope we’re going to have many more moments to show what we can do.”
Similarly, forward Jearl Margaritha applauded Avayevu’s intelligence, a trait that has been apparent in their time sharing the field.
“I think he’s a very clever player,” Margaritha said. “He sees things that other people don’t.”
Margaritha has noticed Avayevu becoming more comfortable with the group – talking more than he did at first. The pair’s relationship is evolving as they have begun spending time together in their free time.
Avayevu said the positive reviews from his teammates have been a result of trust, which has led to the team’s recent success after its early-season struggles. After garnering eight out of a possible 30 points in its opening 10 matches, Phoenix now sits six points outside of the top spot in the Western Conference at fifth place.
Avayevu said his adaptation to Rising was not a long process because of his preexisting relationship with Kah. And developing relationships with teammates like Margaritha have also evolved positively.
“I like the way the players connect outside the field, so that’s something that helps a lot,” Avayevu said. “It’s really easy to connect on the field when you have a good connection outside the field. So that is something that’s made the (adaptation) easier for me.”
Scoring goals and creating assists is key to Avayevu’s focus as a midfielder. Most importantly, he is looking to help the team win.
Kah has always said Avayevu loves his goals more than assists, but this season, he challenged the midfielder to put more balls in the back of the net. So far, he has answered the call.
Avayevu’s motivation to improve comes from wanting to make fans, including the Rising faithful, happy when they watch him play. He also looks to do the same for his parents who, like Kah, have lofty expectations for him.
“I want to put smiles on people’s faces,” Avayevu said. “Everytime I talk to my parents, they’ll be like ‘Did you score? Did you assist? What’d you do?’ I put all those things in my head before I go out on the field.”
While Avayevu’s journey to Phoenix was long, he knows there is more to do. He said if he could, he would tell that kid who grew up in Ghana, the one who played soccer at that local park with his friends, that he has only done a little bit.
As for his dreams as a professional player, Avayevu wants to find his way to Europe. He also wishes to hear the UEFA Champions League anthem play as he enters the field – similar to Ghanaian greats of the past.
“I’ve always watched the Champions League. It’s like a dream for me,” Avayevu said. “Hopefully one day I will be on the field listening to that song, not outside of it.”
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