This story was first published on Aug. 21, 2024. It was updated on Oct. 2, 2024 to reflect Poku’s call-up to the Canadian men’s national team.

Kwasi Poku is not the first young player to earn a transfer abroad from a Canadian Premier League club, and he hopefully will not be the last.

However, his league-record move from Forge FC to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek — as well as the Canadian men’s national team after a red-hot start to life in Europe — is the culmination of a story that’s perhaps an ideal template for aspiring Canadian players to follow.

The 21-year-old’s footballing career to date has been almost entirely centred within his home province of Ontario. Born and raised in Brampton, Poku played in the youth systems of Woodbridge Strikers and Unionville Milliken SC before joining the Toronto FC academy as a teenager.

Though he played a handful of games for TFC’s reserve sides in League1 Ontario and USL League One, Poku looked for another opportunity at the age of 18. That’s when he made a key decision: rather than turning his attention to Europe or the United States, where he might not have been ready for first-team football and his career could have fizzled, he chose the option that was right on his doorstep.

Even at Forge, though, the minutes didn’t fall into his lap. Poku did play 24 games for the club in his first year there, but not often as a starter. Even then, he was asked to fill a variety of roles, from left-back to the wing to central midfield. He made his Forge debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup at home against Cruz Azul, but was in and out of the squad throughout the CPL season and didn’t feature in any of their playoff games en route to winning the title.

The following year, Poku began working his way more consistently into the Forge structure. He started 18 times, including in both playoff games — although Forge’s championship triumph was somewhat bittersweet for him; Poku found himself in tears at halftime of the CPL Final, needing to be substituted with a knee injury.

Still, by that point Poku had caught the attention of the greater soccer community. He’d established himself as a useful contributor at the first-team professional level by the age of 20 — and not just anywhere, but in a championship-winning Forge side where far more experienced players had struggled to crack the lineup.

Poku had fought hard for his spot in the squad, forcing Bobby Smyrniotis to find a place for him, even when he had a Canadian soccer legend like Ashtone Morgan as his everyday left-back.

Having established himself as a professional, Poku had opportunities last winter; several European clubs had shown interest, and he trained briefly with Swedish club BK Häcken and Belgian side SK Beveren. Perhaps Poku could have made a move at that point, but again he opted for patience.

The time may not have been right; he’d shown his potential at Forge, but hadn’t quite proven himself as much as he wanted.

Then came 2024. It began with something of a false start; Poku had to leave the Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Chivas after just 10 minutes with injury. He wasn’t fit to start Forge’s first five games of the year, playing only small roles off the bench.

Soon enough though, the door opened. Poku first got back into the starting XI as a left winger against Pacific, then played on the right the following week.

The eureka moment came in his third start. Ahead of Forge’s second leg against CF Montréal in the Canadian Championship, they found themselves without either of their strikers available. With Terran Campbell and Jordan Hamilton both injured, Smyrniotis played a card he claimed to have had in his hand for a while: Kwasi Poku at centre-forward.

Instantly, Forge had struck gold. Poku scored in Montréal and was arguably his side’s best player on a night where, for the first time in club history, they defeated a Major League Soccer team.

Poku started every subsequent match in the number nine role for Forge over the next few months, and time and again he rewarded his coaching staff for their faith in him. In 14 games since his conversion to the new position, he scored 10 goals and catapulted himself into the CPL’s Golden Boot race.

Now, having fully broken out as a star in his home country, the time was finally right for Poku to test himself abroad.

He’s been rewarded for his patience with this move to a club that’s acquiring him based on his actual body of work, rather than just potential. The CPL-record transfer fee Molenbeek have spent suggests their intention for Poku to help them right away, as they push for promotion.

The Belgian side’s gamble paid off, too; Poku has scored three goals in his first five games with the club, and they sit first in the league after six matches, having won every single game Poku has appeared in.

Now, Poku has received the call to the senior national team for the first time, making him the 11th player to get such an invitation either during or after their time in the CPL.

Such is the beauty of the Canadian Premier League, and the opportunity it provides. It’s too common for a young Canadian player to make a premature move and get lost in the shuffle of a club that might not value them, at a time in their career where playing consistent minutes is more important than anything.

Poku, though, was wise to prove himself at home first. He has shown that he’s comfortable at the professional level, and that he’s versatile enough to fit wherever a team needs him. While he obviously had a versatile skillset even when he first signed for Forge, he’s now developed that raw talent into a more well-rounded footballer and he’s better off for it.

As the CPL continues creating more space for young players, via avenues like the Exceptional Young Talent initiative, Developmental contracts and the Downward Player Movement affiliates, there’s more incentive than ever for the next generation of Canadian stars to begin their professional journeys at home.