New striker Mekonnen set to bring scoring talent to Griffins for 2023 Canada West season

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Chemistry has been building for a long time amongst the 2023-24 recruiting class of the MacEwan Griffins men's soccer team.

Teammates at various levels of high-performance footie – including with Juventus' recent provincial indoor championship squad – a foursome of incoming Griffins are currently playing together under MacEwan head coach Adam Loga on the semi-pro side Edmonton Scottish United in League One.

Among that group is promising striker Zewdu Mekonnen, who had a decorated youth career as captain of the Vancouver Whitecaps' 2005 residency squad.

"He obviously gained a lot of knowledge and experience playing out there and moving away and leading a team with those standards and demands day in and day out," said Loga.

Two years ago, Loga was helping lead a Free Play for Kids session when he spied Mekonnen training nearby with some friends.

"I was like 'who is this kid?' So, I went and chatted with him at Commonwealth Field House and called his academy coach," he said. "From there, we started to get the wheels in motion. With references from the Whitecaps, as well, it was a sure thing for us to bring him in."

The hope is Mekonnen can help fill the void created when promising striker Alvin Mazaheri left the Griffins after sharing the team scoring lead in 2021.

"I'm just looking forward to having a young 9 that can grow with the program," said Loga of the Next Level Soccer Academy product. "Obviously missing Alvin after his great record-breaking season, that was a big hole for us this past season that we just couldn't really figure out. Hopefully, he can come in and make an immediate impact. If not, we can hopefully have him develop into that role in future years."

Mekonnen has long been a top forward from the Edmonton area, growing up in the 2005 Internazionale program and playing for Team Alberta's U15 and U18 squads. The two-time SX Cup champion will join MacEwan after graduating from Archbishop O'Leary.

Most recently, he scored eight goals in four games for Juventus at the provincial indoor championship in March, leading them to the gold medal.

"He's clean on the ball, strikes the ball well," said Loga. "These kids just work for each other, and I think it's really refreshing for the staff to see as we watch in League 1. They're team-first players. He's one of those guys. Some people would like strikers to be a bit more selfish, but he'll find his time for sure either way."