Wenchi, Ghana is located 5,657 miles from Dayton. On a search for flights from the Ghanaian capital Accra to Dayton, results revealed a 20+ hour flight with four stops. Wenchi, the hometown of University of Dayton junior men's soccer player Kingsford Adjei, is another seven-hour drive from Accra. Adjei began a journey from his birthplace when he was 10 years old and has not returned since.

The UD men's soccer program has had many international student-athletes come to Dayton, Ohio to continue their educations and careers. Like many, Adjei has joined the Flyers mature beyond his years and used to finding a home away from home.  

Let's make the five-and-a-half thousand mile and 21-year journey back to Jan. 21, 1999 when Kingsford, the only son of parents Rose Obeng-Gyan and Isaac Yaw Adjei, was born. His father was a driver for the local hospital and his mother was a trader dealing in food and clothing. Kingsford has three siblings, Patience, Naana, and Roselyn, and also lived with his cousin, who he refers to as brother, Emmanual Twummasi.

"Life in Ghana is about survival," said Adjei. "It is a developing country and everyone is trying to get something for themselves and their family."

Kingsford expressed that life as a child was quite fun, playing soccer in the streets after school with friends, but education was the priority for his family, especially his parents.

"I remember I would tell my mom I just want to get to a football environment," said Adjei. "My parents said before you can do that, you have to make sure you have a background and the basic foundation.

 "For my parents, what they suffered from is actually pushing them to push us to make sure we don't face the same consequences," added Adjei. "That is why our parents are really strict when it comes to education."

Childhood in Ghana is often short-lived and children are forced to mature quickly and contribute to the well-being of the entire family.

"At a young age, we started to think about what we can do to make the family better and what we can do to benefit the whole family instead of yourself," Adjei stated. "Growing up as a kid, you already know the situation you are going into and what is expected of you. It kind of sets the tone. Any dream you have for yourself, it has to benefit the whole family or community and not just yourself. The environment I grew up in gave me those kinds of morals and philosophy to live by." 

Education was a priority, but soccer was Adjei's passion. He was introduced to the game at six years old as soccer, or football in Ghana, is the most popular sport.  Playing barefoot in the streets or parks with one ball for the community, it was an unorganized fashion in which Adjei learned the game.

"All the kids from the area just came together, we divided ourselves, and it was just for the love of the game," said Adjei. "We had fun with each other. I didn't have any intention of going pro or playing at the highest level. It was just doing it because it was what I was passionate about. I love to play."

Despite starting out with no instruction or structure, Adjei developed in his game quickly. Playing against older, bigger, and more experienced kids, he had to learn to adapt from an early age.

"You are thinking about playing against people who are more physically capable than you and already have more experience playing soccer," said Adjei. "To be on the same edge as them playing as a kid makes you have quicker reflexes and understand the game better. I love to play against players who are older, more physical, and taller than me. I find it more challenging and I love to compete."

Eventually Adjei found his way to the Right to Dream Academy, a prestigious organization in Accra, Ghana that focuses on building an all-around individual, not just an athlete. The school, founded by Tom Vernon, a former Manchester United scout, in 2002, focuses on developing boys and girls from Ghana in three key areas: character, education, and football. Their mission is "to provide transformational, life-changing opportunities for the next generation of leaders, inspiring change as part of a global movement that shares remarkable stories of human endeavor." Creating the best soccer players in the world isn't mentioned, but the academy has produced some of the brightest, young talent from Africa over the past two decades.

Adjei's path to the Right to Dream Academy was a long and strenuous one, but started with a family connection. His cousin "brother" Emmanuel Twumasi was two years older than him and was the first in the family to attend the Right to Dream Academy.

"He got into Right to Dream two years before I did," Adjei explained. "Each time he came home, he got better. I saw him improving and developing his game to a different level and his character started growing, becoming a better person in general. That was my motivation."

Twumasi graduated from Right to Dream and went on to play in the U.S. at Wake Forest University before being drafted in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by F.C. Dallas with the 11^th overall pick. He currently is on loan to the Austin Bold in the USL.

Adjei saw a similar path laid before him, but he was going to have to go about it his own way.

"I played for my school and was captain," said Adjei. "Then I got selected to represent my township and was captain of that. Then I went to play in the regionals and I started representing the state. We played in a big event that was a tournament for mostly young, up-and-coming talent with scouts from academies like Right to Dream there. I captured their attention and they gave me the platform to showcase my talent. It took five months to do a whole tryout and I got a full scholarship. That was huge because you talk about 1,000 people and I was the one selected that year."

During his development at Right to Dream Academy, Adjei had the opportunity to play overseas in England against the youth teams of international powerhouses Manchester United, Manchester City, and other English academies with some of the top young talent in the world. After completing school at Right to Dream, Adjei had a few different options, including tryouts for professional teams in Europe. However, the University of Dayton men's soccer team inserted themselves into the equation.

"I was in the U.K. and got an email from Dayton," said Adjei. "I wasn't looking at coming to America at that point, but I talked to my brother who was in Right to Dream and he came to the U.S. to play at Wake Forest before being drafted. I thought the same way my brother did it, that could be an opportunity for me.

"I always want to take the different route because I believe, regardless of what route you take, if you do the right things, if you go the right way, you always end up at the destination you want to get to."

In his short time at Dayton, Adjei has already totaled 11 goals (tied for first in the A-10 with teammate Jonas Fjeldberg), five assists, and 27 points while earning 2019 Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year honors in just 12 games. An injury during the season limited his debut campaign, but it was still enough to be named First Team All-Conference. He led the league with 2.25 points per game and shows signs of just getting started. However, Ajdei wants to make an impact off the field just as much as on the field.

"My goal is to influence other student-athletes to think 'It is not always just about college experience or fun, it is about something greater for yourself and for the people around you and the program," said Adjei. "My legacy is to prove to people and showcase what we have in Dayton to the world and take the program to a different level."

Dayton advanced to the A-10 Championship tournament title game last season before eventually falling to top-seeded Rhode Island. Adjei still has two more years of eligibility and the future is bright for the Flyers, who return 81 percent of their scoring from last year.

Adjei has further aspirations after his career at Dayton with his degree in hand. Whether it is playing professionally in the top leagues in Europe, coaching, or running his own academy in Ghana, Adjei wants to lay the foundation for the next generation of student-athletes.

"For me, my aspirations are to help myself to help others," explained Adjei. "It has always been like that growing up, knowing I have to do more to help other people like my family and my community. It is always about giving back. What I want to do is play the game. If I'm not playing, I'm helping other people get there."

When asked what message he would give a little boy or girl growing up in the small village of Wenchi, he reiterated self-belief.

"Once you believe in yourself, you don't care when someone pulls you down, because you already know the fire in you and the capabilities within yourself as a human," said Adjei. "Once you get the basic foundation, you can do anything you want to do. It will start with a dream, start with a belief. You can't do anything without believing."

Adjei also had a message for his fellow student-athletes.

"Everyone's got their own opinion," added Adjei.  "Someone is going to tell you that you are the best player, someone is going to tell you that you are the worst player. It's all about believing in what you are doing." 

"It's about confidence. It's about courage. It's about goals. Your competition is just yourself. Once you challenge yourself and beat your own competition, you reach your fullest potential."

For some, that is a short path to enlightenment. For others, it is a long road to glory.