The 18-year-old has shown he has what it takes to take his career to the next level, with a move to Bavaria reportedly now in the cards
Despite not logging a single minute of senior soccer at age 18, Bajung Darboe is one of American soccer's hottest prospects. And in January, he's reportedly set to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich after an agreement was struck with MLS side LAFC in November for his transfer.
The two clubs have a unique partnership, too.
The respective giants helped found Red&Gold Football in 2023a partnership and development cooperation to help youth players find a pathway into the first-team at both clubs while scouting talent from all around the world.
Darboe? He's the latest example of the program's success.
“We’ve founded a joint venture, Red&Gold Football, which is based in Munich. It’s a 50/50 joint venture with LAFC," Director of Youth Development Jochen Sauer told WorldSoccerTalk in November. "Our focus is now the [North] American, South American, and African markets to develop talent for Bayern Munich and LAFC.
“One of the reasons why we have this partnership with LAFC, especially in California, is because they have a very close connection to North and South America,” Sauer added. “So we share a little bit of the responsibilities. LAFC oversees more of the South American market because they have their scouts on the ground in South America. They have a lot of players in their team from South America and North America. We, [Bayern Munich], oversee the European and African market.”
With his transfer, Darboe becomes the third MLS Homegrown player to join the German club, similar to current first-team star Alphonso Davies and ex-FC Dallas player Justin Che.
Darboe follow in the footsteps of current USMNT players Chris Richards and Malik Tillman – who both played for FC Bayern II before having brief stints with the first team in the Bundesliga. Both Richards and Tillman would move on to other clubs to secure bigger roles, joining Crystal Palace and PSV respectively.
But what makes the 18-year-old so special? From Minnesota United to the Philadelphia Union and now LAFC, he's been a hot commodity among MLS academies in recent years – and now, it's next step Bayern Munich for a reported $1.5M fee.
GOAL takes a look into why Bayern decided to bring the American to Bavaria.
Where it all began
Darboe's connection with Bayern isn't a new one, in fact, he trialed with the Bundesliga giants two years ago – and that moment, that's where he planted the seed. He impressed on trial as a 16-year-old so much that now, the German side have circled back to secure him on a permanent basis.
His career overall, though, has been a unique one.
A native of The Gambia, Darboe is from Madison, Wisconsin and first started making waves in the academy of Minnesota United five years ago. At age 13, he was playing with the Loons U17 squad, catching the eyes of many at the MLS NEXT level. However, MNUFC's academy collapsed in June 2020, spelling the end for Darboe in the midwest. The Loons furloughed or fired their entire academy staff due to cuts as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, and players at the U17 level and below explored other options around MLS and at the collegiate level.
“Unfortunately without any revenue from within our club from our local games, and without knowing when MLS will get this (academy) vision up and running, we had to furlough and let some people go because we are going to shift,” former MNUFC CFO Manny Lagos had said at the time.
As a result of the closure, both players and their families were left stunned, unsure what their next steps would be en route to becoming professional footballers. Darboe in particular, though, was someone the Loons were hoping to keep.
“We are excited about talking about the next steps with Darboe,” Lagos added when speaking to reporters in June, 2020. “If he doesn’t like the path, he can go somewhere else. But there are caveats at the end of the pathway.”
In the end, Darboe and countless others departed Minnesota, with the attacker leaving the midwest for the famed Philadelphia Union academy. They swooped in to secure his services that summer, leaving the Loons empty-handed and out of their budding star.
AdvertisementGettyThe big break
In Philadelphia, Darboe spent a little over two seasons in the Union academy, even debuting at the MLS NEXT Pro level with Union II in 2022 making 15 appearances for the club. However, he never made it to the first team under Jim Curtin.
He joined the LAFC academy in 2023 after departing the Union at the end of the 2022 campaign, signing as a Homegrown player with the club after they paid MNUFC a reported $50,000 GAM fee, with the Loons retaining a sell-on percentage. The attacker was once again part of the MLS NEXT Pro setup, working his way into the LAFC 2 XI throughout the campaign in 2024, making 14 appearances for the .
His initial trial with Bayern left an impression with the club, but at just 16, they were unable to sign him due to him not having a European passport. Upon his 18th birthday on Nov. 7 this year, though, reports surfaced within 24 hours of his imminent move.
Biggest strengths
Darboe excels in space, in transition and in take-on duels. At the youth levels, he has used both his size and pace to his advantage, willingly taking on defenders while driving forward on the ball. Primarily playing in wide roles, he's excelled when on the ball or when pressing the opposition.
A set piece specialist as well, the forward has shown he is reliable in front of net from dead ball situations. In the 2021 MLS NEXT semifinals, he scored this beauty of a free kick to send the Union's U15 squad to the MLS NEXT Playoff finals.
Room for improvement
While Darboe has excelled at various youth levels, he hasn't quite found his footing at the MLS NEXT Pro level – while other academy players in his age group from around MLS have become regular contributors for their senior side's developmental team.
However, that's not a mark against the 18-year-old, and obviously Bayern Munich has seen something special in him that's worth taking a gamble on. In 2024 for LAFC 2, though, he recorded zero goal-contributions across 14 appearances; four of which were starts.
In 2022, at the MNP level with Union II, he made nine starts across 14 appearances, failing to record a single goal-contribution that campaign as well.
it's unfair to judge a forward based on their lack of scoring, but to succeed at the highest level there needs to be consistent production in and around the opposition's 18-yard-box. At Bayern II, he will need to provide consistency in the final-third while improving his production around the net.
