Two weeks shy of a year ago, Kwasi Poku was in tears as an injury made him unable to continue beyond halftime in the 2023 Canadian Premier League Final.

Eleven and a half whirlwind months later, Poku found himself on the touchline at BMO Field, preparing to sub into a Canadian men’s national team match to make his senior debut for his country.

It’s been a remarkable year for Poku, who converted from a left-back to a striker for Forge FC in May of this year and hasn’t looked back. He went on to score 10 goals in 14 games at the centre-forward position, and in August he made the move to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek for the highest transfer fee ever paid to a CPL team.

Now, after a red-hot start to life with Molenbeek — who are 4-1-0 in league play with Poku in the lineup and sit atop the Belgian second tier — Poku earned his first call-up to the men’s national team. On Tuesday, he made a cameo appearance off the bench in Canada’s 2-1 friendly win over Panama, and although he didn’t touch the ball in his two minutes on the pitch, his inclusion is nonetheless an outstanding culmination to his incredible year.

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Asked what he’d say if you’d told him a year ago how 2024 would go for him, Poku admitted it’s been a surprise even for him.

“I wouldn’t believe you at all,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “I started off this year injured, went through a lot of problems, issues off the field, and to be here is just inspirational.”

He added: “I think I’m just showing that there’s a pathway for young players in the CPL, and I just want to be an inspiration for them. It’s a great feeling to make my debut, but an even better feeling that it’s at home.”

Although he’s not in Hamilton with Forge anymore, Poku can still be considered a CPL title winner this year. He was instrumental to his side’s run to winning the regular season, and although he wasn’t on hand when they lifted the CPL Shield on Saturday, he says he’s been keeping tabs on his former club.

To him, it’s no surprise that Forge held on to win the title; the mentality of his former club has definitely stuck with Poku.

“They’re serial winners, I think we always have that mentality as Forge players,” he said. “To go out and win you have to execute, do what we’re supposed to do, and I think that’s exactly what the guys are doing.”

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has spoken glowingly of Poku on several occasions now, and he mentioned after Tuesday’s game that he had been excited to give the 21-year-old his debut.

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Marsch explained that he’s been impressed with Poku’s mindset and workrate, but also his flexibility, and his knack for adapting his raw skills to fit a need. After working with Poku in camp all week, Marsch decided Poku deserved his first cap.

“Kwasi had a really good week,” Marsch said. “He adapted really quickly, is eager to try to show that he can do this. He has some raw talents that fit with the way that I think about talented players, and can play a lot of different positions on the front line. He was playing at Forge at the beginning of the year as more of a left wingback, then he was a striker scoring a lot of goals. Now he’s playing at Molenbeek a little bit more on the right.

Marsch went on to add that his decision to give minutes to players like Poku, as well as other squad players like Nathan Saliba, is partly a way of recognizing players for progressing in their careers, but also a reward for hard work in national team camp.

“I was excited to get him into the match,” Marsch said. “Some of these decisions are a reward for how they’re progressing in their career, and then how they played in the week. … This is our goal, to develop players through the national team, and I think Kwasi is an example of that.”

Poku was one of two ex-Canadian Premier League players to see the pitch in this match. In a moment of fitting symbolism, Poku entered the game at the same time as Joel Waterman, the former Cavalry FC defender who was one of the CPL’s first major exports after the inaugural 2019 season.

Now that he’s had his first taste of the international stage, the number one thing Poku has learned is that he’s eager to get back to it.

“There’s a higher level for me,” he said. “I still have things to work on and things I can improve in my game, and that’s exciting for me. Challenges excite me. I really enjoyed this camp and how much I’ve grown.”

If Poku’s career continues on the trajectory it’s followed this year, no doubt he’ll be a fixture in Marsch’s squad for years to come.