Samuel Inkoom
Samuel Inkoom made his Boavista debut in the Portuguese side’s 1-1 preseason friendly draw with Leixoes.
The right-back moved to As Panteras in early June, and appears to be settling in well. His confident showing against Leixoes was a good indication that he is finding his feet at his new club and in a new country.
The defender featured for 80 minutes, starting the contest and impressing with his poise in defence and his desire to seek out those ahead of him with intelligent passing.
The Porto-based outing shuffled the pack at half time, with coach Petit opting to use the broader depth of his squad. Inkoom was the only starter who survived the re-jig and was only replaced 10 minutes from the end.
Luisinho, another new recruit, gave Os Axadrezados the lead on the half-time mark, but second-division Leixoes responded in the dying minutes of the contest.
Inkoom arrived at Boavista after an unhappy spell in Major League Soccer, having left DC United in December under something of a cloud.
His misfortune in the States and his subsequent inactivity saw him lose his place both in the Ghana first team and in Avram Grant’s squad.
The defender hasn’t featured in a competitive game for the Black Stars since a pre-World Cup friendly against the Netherlands, while he was an unused substitute at the tournament in Brazil. Grant gave him a start in his first game in charge—the pre-Cup of Nations friendly against Olhanense—but Inkoom didn’t do enough to warrant a squad place ahead of the likes of Harrison Afful and Daniel Amartey.
