Ignatius Ganago Looking to Make Most of Unexpected Opportunity
"I’m here, I want to play, I want to enjoy football, so that’s all.”
Ignatius Ganago had no expectations of one day playing in Major League Soccer. Now the Cameroonian forward will look to play a key role in the 2025 New England Revolution attack.
Ganago is a veteran of Ligue 1 in France. He has played for OGC Nice, RC Lens, and FC Nantes, tallying 23 goals and eight assists in over 150 matches played.
Speaking to the media for the first time, the 25-year-old discussed how the move to New England came about.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to come here at first because I wasn’t really thinking about it,” he said. “So, when the club approached me, I was like, ‘Okay, I want to speak with [Porter] to know what he thinks.’ So, they made me speak with the coach. I spoke with the coach for around like 30 minutes. When I spoke with the coach, I just felt like, ‘I want to go.’ So, that makes all the difference because I spoke with the coach and the coach said ‘I know you’. He explained everything about me. So, this is something I really appreciate about the coach. I spoke with him for like 30 minutes and I was like ‘He knows me, he knows my life, he knows everything about me, how I like to play’. So I thought, ‘Don’t think too much, just go, just move.’ For me, it is another opportunity. I’m here, I want to play, I want to enjoy football, so that’s all.”
Ganago’s story isn’t unique. Revolution head coach Caleb Porter and sporting director Curt Onalfo sold New England’s offseason additions on the club. The duo deserve credit for the work they have put in.
But that doesn’t mean that the head coach has sugar-coated what the forward needs to do. New England was poor in front of net in 2024 and was in desperate need of a goalscorer. The Revolution scored the least amount of goals in all of MLS in 2024 (37).
Porter has put his faith that Ganago will take the next step in his progression as a player in New England. If the Cameroonian can score goals, the faith will be proven to be correctly placed.
“[Porter] is very clear with me,” the forward said. “He just wants me to be a free player, a free player, do what I want to do. Not doing nonsense, but I have to score goals, I have to make goals. So, the coach is clear, the coach is cool, he’s calm, so I like it.
“For now, I will play wherever [Porter] wants me to play, so I’m just waiting for the coach to tell me where I will play, if he plays me on the left side or behind the striker,” he later added. “I will play where the coach wants me to play, and I’ll do what he wants me to do. I like to score. I like to create chances for the other players also, so for me I just want to do everything. Not only me, but the whole team. We have to put each of our touch to make it a great team. I think we have a lot of good players. I spent a week with them at IMG Academy, so I saw good players and I think we can make great things happen together.”
Ganago won’t have a lot of time to prove his worth. He is currently on a six-month loan that could be extended an additional six months if certain playing time conditions are met.
Considering that New England will be down a winger until April as Tomas Chancalay is still sidelined, it seems likely that those conditions are met. Additionally, the loan does include a purchase option.
While not focusing too much on the future, Ganago hopes to spend the entire season in New England.
“I’m just focused on right here, right now,” he said. “I’m focused on the next game on Saturday, so that’s it. I’m focused on the next game, step by step. But for sure, I want to stay until December, not September.”