SAN DIEGO — UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer alum and San Diego FC defender Manu Duah has been named no. 9 on Major League Soccer's 22 Under 22 list, earning a spot in the top half of the league's list. He climbed six spots from last year's list, when the then-rookie ranked 15^th.

The ranking lists the league's top 22 players under 22 years old and is compiled by an expert panel of MLS and club staff alongside Apple TV broadcasters.

The recognition reflects the continuation of a remarkable start for Duah, who helped lead San Diego FC to the 2025 Western Conference Final in his first professional season. The former first overall MLS SuperDraft selection has established himself as one of the league's standout young center backs, earning his first call-up to the Ghana National Team in May, while being linked with a move to the English Football League Championship or France's League 1. Instead, Duah recently signed a contract extension with San Diego FC that will keep him in Chrome and Azul until at least the 2029-30 season.

After a stellar 2024 freshman campaign for the Gauchos, Duah made history as the first UC Santa Barbara athlete to be selected first in a professional draft. The young breakout talent helped San Diego FC complete the most successful inaugural season by an expansion team in MLS history last season and has started every league match in his second MLS campaign, leading San Diego in minutes played.

In his lone season with the Gauchos, Duah appeared in 14 matches, leading Santa Barbara to an 8-3-3 record with six clean sheets in those games. At the end of the season, UC Santa Barbara earned its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance, highlighted by an opening-round victory over UCLA in which Duah played all 93 minutes.