Wed Apr 16 16:06:36 2008

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Crew sign Nigerian midfielder

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Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - The Columbus Crew announced that they have signed Nigerian U-23 national team midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo.

"We are thrilled to get this significant signing in within the transfer window," Crew Technical Director Brian Bliss said. "Our group has put a lot of work into this process, from getting him into preseason training so we could evaluate him to getting all of the paperwork completed behind the scenes. We now look forward to getting him integrated back into the team so he can do what we all think he is capable of."

Ekpo, who participated in much of the Crew's preseason training, had returned to his native Nigeria in March to take part in CAF Olympic Qualifying. Ekpo and Nigeria took care of business in qualifying action, defeating South Africa, 3-0, on March 26, to advance to the '08 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In addition to Olympic Qualifying, Ekpo has participated in African Games qualifying.